cruelty

[kroo-uhl-tee] / ˈkru əl ti /

NOUN

brutality, harshness

Synonyms

STRONGEST

barbarism barbarity inhumanity malice persecution savagery torture

STRONG

animality bestiality bloodthirstiness callousness coarseness coldness depravity despotism ferocity fierceness heartlessness insensibility insensitiveness malignity masochism mercilessness murderousness rancor ruthlessness sadism savageness severity spite spitefulness truculence unfeelingness unkindness venom viciousness wickedness

WEAK

brutishness fiendishness hard-heartedness

Antonyms

STRONGEST

kindness

STRONG

love

WEAK

charity compassion consideration feeling gentility mercy niceness thoughtfulness

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"It's just cruelty and collective punishment," Jayapal added.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

This is a novel about pettiness, middle-class superficiality, disloyalty, prejudice and cruelty, with this coterie of rather vile friends acting as a microcosm for a society in decline.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Her gleeful cruelty was matched only by the audacity of her incompetence.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Wars produce cruelty that falls hardest on those with the least power.

From Slate • Feb. 25, 2026

I have often heard it said that cowardice is the mother of cruelty, and I have found by experience that malicious and inhuman animosity and fierceness are usually accompanied by weakness.

From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong

Vocabulary lists containing cruelty

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

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Real-Life Superheroes

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The Subtle Knife

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