Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The quality or condition of being cruel.
- n. Something, such as a cruel act or remark, that causes pain or suffering.
- n. Law The infliction of physical or mental distress, especially when considered a determinant in granting a divorce.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The quality of being cruel; the disposition to inflict suffering, physical or mental; indifference to or pleasure in the pain or distress of others; inhumanity.
- n. A cruel act; a barbarous deed; specifically, in law, an act inflicting severe pain and done with wilfulness and malice.
- n. . Harshness or strength of physical impression; strength as of a smell.
- n. Synonyms Inhumanity, barbarity, savageness, ferocity, brutality.
Wiktionary
- n. uncountable an indifference to suffering or positive pleasure in inflicting suffering.
- n. countable a cruel act
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The attribute or quality of being cruel; a disposition to give unnecessary pain or suffering to others; inhumanity; barbarity.
- n. A cruel and barbarous deed; inhuman treatment; the act of willfully causing unnecessary pain.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
- n. feelings of extreme heartlessness
- n. the quality of being cruel and causing tension or annoyance
Examples
“It's the lives ruined through blunders -- it's the cruelty -- the needless _cruelty_ of it all. ”
“This cruelty is a dead give-away of who these people really are.”
“Before posting I asked several readers if I was going overboard with the word "cruelty.”
The Huffington Post: Nicholas Carroll: Occupy Wall Street and the Scent of Revolution
“I never used the word cruelty, Ginor returned, saying that even the most idyllic farm would be a four or five because at the end of the day the ducks, the animals are being killed for food, manipulated in some way by being put here and put there and moved around.”
“But just within the first 10 days, they have found evidence of what they call the cruelty of the Iraqi regime.”
“A 71-year-old Californian who immolated himself to protest what he called cruelty in the United States and India was cremated Saturday according to Hindu rituals, his friends said.”
“US admirer of Gandhi cremated in India A 71-year-old Californian who immolated himself to protest what he called cruelty in the United States and India was cremated Saturday according to Hindu rituals, his friends said.”
“Gandhi and a retired mining engineer, set himself on fire to protest what he called cruelty in the United States and India.”
“In the real world, it isn't acceptable to be dishonest and mean to people, but on reality TV, deception and cruelty is not only encouraged, but admired.”
The Huffington Post: Dr. Jim Taylor: Television -- and America -- on the Couch
“Another thing about your cruelty is when Sarah Palin came onto the seen you people were spreading trash rumors about her within hours, so maybe you people should remember when you point your finger at someone you have 3 pointing right back at you.”
I don't view Palin as a competitor for anything, says Pawlenty
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘cruelty’.
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The Sog Collection
My big word list.
chaos, flaccid, empirical, flotsam, cacophony, grumble, assuage, awe, romance, mortality, coalesce, fortuitous and 3282 more...
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Scriptie: The Fellowship of the Ring
the world is changed, much that once wa..., great rings, immortal, dwarf lords, miners, craftsmen, three, seven, nine, deceived, dark lord and 216 more...
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C this list?
charisma, character, caricature, coven, compliment, choice, collection, cricket, creation, crown, caboodle, camera and 52 more...
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what's that?
I don't get it.
undivided attention, conventionality, chauvinism, meat, racism, cruelty, offline, sexism, hypnosis, consciousness, life, time and 16 more...
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johnwarren's Words
callipygian, solipsism, supremacy, inscrutable, privateer, cellar, starship, tenebrous, ullage, gnomon, selah, meretricious and 29 more...
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if you don't have anything nice to say
animosity, twit, fury, scorn, intrusive, abomination, affront, aggressive, antisocial, apalling, armada, avaricious and 85 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for cruelty.
PossibleUnderscore Terror made me cruel . . .
-Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights Jul 26, 2009