Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for cruelty

cruelty

[ kroo-uhl-tee ]

noun

, plural cru·el·ties
  1. the state or quality of being cruel.

    Synonyms: ruthlessness, harshness, atrocity, inhumanity, barbarity, brutality

  2. cruel disposition or conduct.

    Antonyms: kindness

  3. a cruel act.

    Antonyms: kindness

  4. Law. conduct by a spouse that causes grievous bodily harm or mental suffering.


cruelty

/ ˈkruːəltɪ /

noun

  1. deliberate infliction of pain or suffering
  2. the quality or characteristic of being cruel
  3. a cruel action
  4. law conduct that causes danger to life or limb or a threat to bodily or mental health, on proof of which a decree of divorce may be granted


Discover More

Other Words From

  • anti·cruel·ty adjective
  • self-cruel·ty noun plural selfcruelties

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of cruelty1

1175–1225; Middle English cruelte < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin crūdēlitāt- (stem of crūdēlitās ). See cruel, -ity

Discover More

Example Sentences

He didn’t want to see any more suffering, injustice and cruelty.

Faced with the cruelty of slavery, those who had escaped it began seeking support abroad.

I guess I just felt like I was worth something, like all the pain and cruelty wasn’t what was real.

Mistreatment ranged, much as it did in the United States, from individual acts of cruelty to systemic oppression.

From Eater

Plus, for each journal purchased a percentage of the profit is donated to a non-profit organization in Zambia that promotes the prevention of child cruelty.

Another American officer, Capt. Edwin Glenn, was convicted of cruelty in a non-fatal turn-of-the-century case in the Philippines.

Except in cases with the highest body count, or the most grotesque cruelty, white victims were the only ones that mattered.

So, in the midst of all this chaos and cruelty to one another, what difference does having faith make?

He also had a reputation for cruelty in a particularly cruel conflict.

Mindless bureaucratic cruelty is a recurring theme of observers of the modern state.

Her pulse was beneath his fingers, and with every stroke of it he felt more keenly the mystery and cruelty of life.

Say that my anger has no bounds—that my heart is breaking—will break and kill me, if he persists in his ingratitude and cruelty.

I could find in the Bible more instances of Jahweh's cruelty and barbarity and lack of mercy than I can find room for.

He loathed himself for submitting to her cruelty, for it was intentional cruelty—she made him writhe and suffer of set purpose.

The cruelty hidden in the beautiful lines of his mouth took instant prominence in the smile that flickered round it.

Advertisement

Word of the Day

petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


cruel to be kindcruelty-free