cruel

(redirected from crueller)
Also found in: Thesaurus.

cruel

willfully causing pain or distress; merciless
Not to be confused with:
crewel – worsted yarn for embroidery and edging
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

cru·el

 (kro͞o′əl)
adj. cru·el·er, cru·el·est or cru·el·ler or cru·el·lest
1. Disposed to inflict pain or suffering: a cruel tyrant.
2. Causing or characterized by severe pain, suffering, or distress: cruel treatment; a cruel remark.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin crūdēlis; see kreuə- in Indo-European roots.]
cru′el·ly adv.
cru′el·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cruel

(ˈkruːəl)
adj
1. causing or inflicting pain without pity: a cruel teacher.
2. causing pain or suffering: a cruel accident.
[C13: from Old French, from Latin crūdēlis, from crūdus raw, bloody]
ˈcruelly adv
ˈcruelness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cru•el

(ˈkru əl)

adj. -er, -est.
1. willfully causing pain or distress to others.
2. enjoying the pain or distress of others.
3. causing or marked by great pain or distress.
4. unrelentingly severe; merciless; brutal.
[1175–1225; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin crūdēlis=crūd(us) (see crude) + -ēlis adj. suffix]
cru′el•ly, adv.
cru′el•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.cruel - (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or sufferingcruel - (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering; "a barbarous crime"; "brutal beatings"; "cruel tortures"; "Stalin's roughshod treatment of the kulaks"; "a savage slap"; "vicious kicks"
barbarous, brutal, fell, savage, vicious, roughshod
inhumane - lacking and reflecting lack of pity or compassion; "humans are innately inhumane; this explains much of the misery and suffering in the world"; "biological weapons are considered too inhumane to be used"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

cruel

adjective
1. brutal, ruthless, callous, sadistic, inhumane, hard, fell (archaic), severe, harsh, savage, grim, vicious, relentless, murderous, monstrous, unnatural, unkind, heartless, atrocious, inhuman, merciless, cold-blooded, malevolent, hellish, depraved, spiteful, brutish, bloodthirsty, remorseless, barbarous, pitiless, unfeeling, sanguinary, hard-hearted, stony-hearted the cruel practice of bullfighting the persecution of prisoners by cruel officers
brutal kind, caring, gentle, sympathetic, humane, compassionate, benevolent, merciful, warm-hearted
2. bitter, severe, painful, ruthless, traumatic, grievous, unrelenting, merciless, pitiless Fate dealt him a cruel blow.
Quotations
"I must be cruel, only to be kind" [William Shakespeare Hamlet]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

cruel

adjective
1. Showing or suggesting a disposition to be violently destructive without scruple or restraint:
barbarous, bestial, fell, feral, ferocious, fierce, inhuman, savage, truculent, vicious, wolfish.
2. So intense as to cause extreme suffering:
ferocious, fierce, savage, vicious.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
أليم ، قاسِقاسٍقاسي القَلب، عَديم الرّحْـمَـه
жесток
krutýsurovýukrutný
ondforfærdeliggrusom
julma
nirdayi
nečovječanokrutan
kegyetlen
kejam
miskunnarlaus; grimmuròjáningarfullur
残酷な
잔혹한
crudelis
negailestingasskaudusskaudžiai
cietsirdīgsnežēlīgssāpīgssmags
crud
krutokruten
grym
dhalimu
โหดร้าย
zalimacı verenacımasızçekilmez
tàn nhẫn

cruel

[ˈkrʊəl] ADJ (crueller (compar) (cruellest (superl))) → cruel
they were very cruel to her → fueron muy crueles con ella
it's a cruel fact → es un hecho brutal
you have to be cruel to be kind → quien bien te quiere te hará llorar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

cruel

[ˈkruːəl] adj
[person] → cruel(le); [treatment] → cruel(le); [joke, hoax] → cruel(le)
to be cruel to sb [person] → être cruel(le) envers qn
[life, world, reality, fact] → cruel(le)
a cruel irony → une ironie cruelle
a cruel blow → un coup très dur
a cruel twist of fate → un cruel caprice du sort
you have to be cruel to be kind → qui aime bien châtie bien
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

cruel

adj → grausam (to zu); remark, wit, critic, winter also → unbarmherzig; to be cruel to animals → ein Tierquäler sein; to be cruel to one’s dog → seinen Hund quälen; that is cruel to animals → das ist Tierquälerei; don’t be cruel! → sei nicht so gemein!; sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind → manchmal ist es letzten Endes besser, wenn man hart ist
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

cruel

[ˈkrʊəl] adj (-ler (comp) (-lest (superl))) cruel (to or towards) → crudele (con or nei confronti di)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

cruel

(ˈkruːəl) adjective
1. pleased at causing pain; merciless. He was cruel to his dog.cruel
2. causing distress. a cruel disappointment.cruel
ˈcruelly adverb
cruelmente
ˈcruelty noun
crueldad
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

cruel

→ cruel
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

cruel

a. cruel, inhumano-a.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

cruel

adj cruel
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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References in classic literature ?
And the keen and successful hunt for food in which he pitted his skill and craftiness against the skill and craftiness of another; but to come out of a town filled with food to shoot down a soft-eyed, pretty gazelle--ah, that was crueller than the deliberate and cold-blooded murder of a fellow man.
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