cruel

Meaning

Adj

1. Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.
2. Harsh; severe.
3. (slang) Cool; awesome; neat.

Adv

To a great degree; terribly.

Verb

1. (Australia, New-Zealand) To spoil or ruin (one's chance of success)
2. (Australia, ambitransitive) To violently provoke (a child) in the belief that this will make them more assertive.

Noun

Alternative form of crewel.

Opposite of

merciful

Synonyms

brutal

merciless

savage

heartless

ruthless

pitiless

unkind

harsh

fierce

inhuman

wicked

atrocious

severe

vicious

ferocious

oppressive

violent

barbarous

miserable

hard-hearted

unfeeling

bad

👎

mean

grim

hard

tyrannical

nasty

malicious

callous

inhumane

bloodthirsty

terrible

spiteful

evil

bestial

barbaric

rude

fell

cold-hearted

barbarian

unmerciful

horrible

sadistic

evil-minded

cold-blooded

stern

sudden

incisive

inconsiderate

fiendish

Translations

cruel

cruel

crudele

grausam

cruel

cruel

wreed

crudelis

σκληρός

atroce

wreedaardig

قاسي

barbaars

schrecklich

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɹuːəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: cruel

In summary

From Middle English cruel, borrowed from Old French cruel, from Latin crūdēlis (“hard, severe, cruel”), akin to crūdus (“raw, crude”); see crude.