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Definitions

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.

Viewers accused the show of cruelty and humiliating Tran by making her relive her trauma on live television.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 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

Use of fur in the global fashion industry has dramatically fallen in recent years due to concerns about animal cruelty, changing trends and new synthetic alternatives.

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

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

From Slate • Feb. 25, 2026

It’s poetic, really, the cruelty of the universe.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.