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cruel

[kroo-uhl] / ˈkru əl /


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.

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It also makes much clearer how hard the homesteaders had to work, how desperate they had to be to go west at all, and how cruel and harsh the conditions were.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 9, 2026

It’s a cruel quirk of fate, or maybe just a tragic irony, that we are celebrating America’s semiquincentennial during one of the most surreal periods in American history.

From Salon Jun. 30, 2026

That cruel realization haunts the cash-strapped protagonist of English filmmaker Mark Jenkin’s transfixing, increasingly despairing “Rose of Nevada.”

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 19, 2026

Dr Alice Edwards is the UN's special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and Mai Sato is the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran.

From BBC Jun. 17, 2026

That sweet mule Lucky Pete must have slipped cruel Flora’s rope and run off to celebrate his freedom.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Trump’s treatment of Cornyn was crueler than that of Cassidy.

From Slate May 30, 2026

To Valerie’s credit, she transformed her “Room and Bored” struggles into an Emmy-winning performance on its crueler version, “Seeing Red.”

From Salon Mar. 26, 2026

“But I don’t recall crueler words ever said about me.”

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 17, 2026

I recognize, of course, that life isn’t fair and that many families are grappling with circumstances far crueler than ours.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 22, 2025

He reminded me of Apollo, God of the Sun, except the Titans light was harsher, and his expression crueler.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

I just think one of the cruelest things you can do is to coddle your child in a false reality versus helping them figure out the real reality.

From The Wall Street Journal May 29, 2026

But at the same time, even under the cruelest dictatorships, it has still managed to produce fine literature.

From Barron's May 21, 2026

Some Wall Street analysts are insisting that April — contrary to its label as the cruelest month — is actually one of the better months for the U.S. stock market.

From MarketWatch Apr. 1, 2026

With apologies to T. S. Eliot, December might be the cruelest month — at least for publishing.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 3, 2025

Or unless she’s playing the cruelest game of all.

From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender




Vocabulary lists containing cruel


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