cruel

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.

Diminishing the hurt from people who have been directly affected by gun violence is a useless, cruel task.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

In 1855, Natalie is unsure who’s watching — a cruel producer?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

It is hoped pre-Games testing will prevent the cruel situation that Britain's bobsleigh team found themselves in.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Yet a few paragraphs later she describes the country with three adjectives, “big, cruel, and transcendent,” none of which is unambiguously positive, and urges readers to “make of it what we can.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

“Oh, moilings and toilings! This evil pot is a cruel and wicked master to us all! Oh, sorrow! Fainting Gurgi will never leave Caer Dallben again unbidden!”

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander