Synonyms for cruel
ˈkru əlcru·el

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:4.3 / 4 votes

1. crueladjective

   Synonyms:
   sadistic, vicious, brutal

   Antonyms:
   merciful

2. crueladjective

   Not nice; mean; heartless.

   The supervisor was very cruel to Josh, as he would always give Josh the hardest, most degrading work he could find.

   Synonyms:
   vicious, sadistic, brutal

   Antonyms:
   merciful

3. crueladjective

   Cool; awesome; neat.

   Synonyms:
   sadistic, brutal, vicious

   Antonyms:
   merciful

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.8 / 4 votes

1. cruel

   Whatever is not civilized is barbarian; barbaric indicates rude magnificence, uncultured richness; as, barbaric splendor, a barbaric melody. Barbarous refers to the worst side of barbarian life, and to revolting acts, especially of cruelty, such as a civilized man would not be expected to do; as, a barbarous deed. We may, however, say barbarous nations, barbarous tribes, without implying anything more than want of civilization and culture. Savage is more distinctly bloodthirsty than barbarous. In this sense we speak of a savage beast and of barbarous usage.

   Synonyms:
   atrocious, barbarian, barbaric, barbarous, brutal, inhuman, merciless, rude, savage, uncivilized, uncouth, untamed

   Antonyms:
   civilized, courtly, cultured, delicate, elegant, graceful, humane, nice, polite, refined, tender, urbane

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 3 votes

1. cruel

   Synonyms:
   savage, barbarous, pittiless, inexorable, unrelenting, ruthless, truculent, hard-hearted, harsh, unmerciful, brutal, inhuman, maleficent, malignant

   Antonyms:
   humane, forbearing, generous, merciful, forgiving, benevolent, beneficent

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:4.7 / 7 votes

1. barbarous, brutal, cruel, fell, roughshod, savage, viciousadjective

   (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"

   Synonyms:
   wild, uncivilized, fierce, savage, deplorable, reprehensible, fell, beastly, unrelenting, venomous, criminal, brute(a), condemnable, roughshod, barbaric, evil, feral, poisonous, barbarous, vicious, furious, ferocious, barbarian, heavy-handed, brutish, bestial, brutal, ferine, uncivilised

   Antonyms:
   humane

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. lumpatious

   meaning that if used properly it could mean cruel, rude, or very obnoxiously a jerk.

   my mom is acting very lumpatious

   Submitted by anonymous on November 24, 2020  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. crueladjective

   Synonyms:
   unmerciful, inhuman, merciless, unfeeling, uncompassionate, fell, ruthless, barbarous, pitiless, relentless, unrelenting, inexorable, savage, ferocious, brutal, sanguinary, truculent, blood-thirsty, hard-hearted

2. crueladjective

   Synonyms:
   severe, hard, sharp, bitter

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. crueladjective

   Synonyms:
   pitiless, merciless, inhuman, unmerciful, fell, relentless, ruthless, truculent, brutal, unfeeling, severe, inexorable, incompassionate, implacable

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:5.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "cruel":

   brutal, harsh, callous, cruelty, ruthless, savage, heartless, vicious, barbaric, quarrelsome, atrocious, tough, merciless, unmerciful, inhumane, cold-blooded, gruesome, stone-cold, horrific

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How to use cruel in a sentence?

1. Nancy Pelosi:

   Nancy Pelosi SLAMS CALIFORNIA ICE RAID AS' UNJUST AND CRUEL' AMID OUTCRY OVER MAYOR'S TIPOFF TO IMMIGRANTS The people of California will not be bowed by the Trump administration's brazen aggression and intimidation tactics, californians will continue to proudly keep our doors open to the immigrants who make America more American. We will fight this sham lawsuit and will fight all cowardly attacks on our immigrant communities. But in his remarks, Attorney General Jeff Sessions appeared to be happy to fight, promising that the administration will win the fight and protect law enforcement in doing their jobs.

2. Mark Judge:

   We're spiritual creatures, unlike animals, and when we see forms like a flower or great architecture or a pretty face, we can see both its form but also penetrate through to its spiritual core, which is why if we are alive to beauty as Father Dubay says, we will be sort of seized and raptured by something beautiful, beauty is truth, and truth is beauty. Hugh Hefner Playboy's why if Father Dubay go out on a date with someone who is beautiful, and they have no Christian charity and they're narcissistic and cruel, an ugliness creeps in. So don't let that happen to Father Dubay.

3. Volodymyr Solohub:

   Or Biden's strategy — make Russia weak by sucking its military power on [the] Ukrainian battlefield, giving Javelins [anti-tank missiles] by small portions needed only to block further Russian attacks but not giving us chance to destroy Russian troops quickly. In this case, it's just too cynical and cruel, because this strategy costs hundreds of lives of Ukrainian citizens daily.

4. Richard Donoghue:

   As alleged in the indictment, Elorza is not only a drug trafficker, he also betrayed a veterinarian’s pledge to prevent animal suffering when he used his surgical skills in a cruel scheme to smuggle heroin in the abdomens of puppies, dogs are man's best friend and, as the defendant is about to learn, we are drug dealers’ worst enemy.

5. Juan Mendez:

   It's hard to tell only from the video or the press coverage but I do think that it's a very worrisome development that can amount to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under any circumstance....