cruelty
Americannoun
PLURAL
cruelties-
the state or quality of being cruel.
- Synonyms:
- atrocity , inhumanity , barbarity , ruthlessness , brutality , harshness
-
cruel disposition or conduct.
- Antonyms:
- kindness
-
a cruel act.
- Antonyms:
- kindness
-
Law. conduct by a spouse that causes grievous bodily harm or mental suffering.
noun
-
deliberate infliction of pain or suffering
-
the quality or characteristic of being cruel
-
a cruel action
-
law conduct that causes danger to life or limb or a threat to bodily or mental health, on proof of which a decree of divorce may be granted
Other Word Forms
- anticruelty adjective
- self-cruelty noun
Etymology
Origin of cruelty
1175–1225; Middle English cruelte < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin crūdēlitāt- (stem of crūdēlitās ). See cruel, -ity
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.
There have been numerous variations on “the cruelty is the point” since then, but Serwer’s take remains the original.
From Salon
“Their refusal to provide this family with answers, their refusal to provide his attorneys with answers, says something about the lack of care and the cruelty of the moment right now for DHS.”
From Los Angeles Times
As Sook tells a shamed Buddy, “there is only one unpardonable sin—deliberate cruelty. All else can be forgiven.”
Instead, it’s clear he’s comfortable letting his record — and his stand against Republican cruelty — speak for itself.
From Salon
“This was a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family,” L.A.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
