verb
definition
To spoil or ruin (one's chance of success)
definition
To violently provoke (a child) in the belief that this will make them more assertive.
adjective
definition
Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.
example
The supervisor was very cruel to Josh, as he would always give Josh the hardest, most degrading work he could find.
synonyms
definition
Harsh; severe.
synonyms
definition
Cool; awesome; neat.
adverb
definition
To a great degree; terribly.
Examples of cruel in a Sentence
He was a cruel and nasty man.
How could she have said such a cruel thing?
The ancient world was a cruel place.
Seems like it would appeal to your cruel streak of messing with people to see what they'll do.
They were among the fiercest and most cruel of the pirates of the north coast of Africa.
Grief made people say cruel things, sometimes.
Neither can we see the cruel bears, for they also eat the fruit.
In war, they were savage and cruel; for war always makes men so.
I also saw poor Niobe with her youngest child clinging close to her while she implored the cruel goddess not to kill her last darling.
Why would something as cruel as Darkyn want a mate?
Here they experienced a cruel disappointment.
The former were not implacably cruel or vindictive.
I'd as soon die here as live much longer among these cruel and heartless people.
But if he was the most cruel, Murad was also one of the most manly, of the later sultans.
The term by which this subjection is commonly designated, the Mongol or Tatar yoke, suggests ideas of terrible oppression, Character but in reality these barbarous invaders from the Far of Tatar East were not such cruel, oppressive taskmasters as rule.
After a period of great distress and cruel oppression, in 1866, on the demand for reforms being again refused, a general insurrection took place, which was only put down by great exertions on the part of the Porte.
God being what He is, at once moral and all-powerful, the immoral life is doomed to overthrow, whether the immorality consist in grasping rapacity, proud self-aggrandizement, cruel exaction, exulting triumph or senseless idolatry.
They looked at the beautiful, large, thoughtful eyes full of tears and of thoughts, gazing shiningly and imploringly at them, and understood that it was useless and even cruel to insist.
How could he be so cruel?
Quinn, that's plain cruel!
Darkyn was too cruel a master to betray.
Back East, winters are always angry, even cruel sometimes.
But he is growing old, and though not exactly cruel he has too energetic a character.
The countess let no occasion slip of making humiliating or cruel allusions to Sonya.
During the hour Pierre watched them they all came flowing from the different streets with one and the same desire to get on quickly; they all jostled one another, began to grow angry and to fight, white teeth gleamed, brows frowned, ever the same words of abuse flew from side to side, and all the faces bore the same swaggeringly resolute and coldly cruel expression that had struck Pierre that morning on the corporal's face when the drums were beating.
Hinduism, which was once the religion of Java, but has been extinct there for four centuries, is still in vogue in the islands of Bali and Lombok, where the cruel custom of widow-burning (suttee) is still practised, and the Hindu system of the four castes, with a fifth or Pariah caste (called Chandala), adhered to.
In his own kingdom Charles took some steps to reform the financial and judicial administration and so to increase his revenue; but he was soon occupied once more with foreign entanglements, and in July 1362, in alliance with Peter the Cruel, king of Castile, he invaded Aragon, deserting his new ally soon afterwards for Peter IV., king of Aragon.
The people of Egypt were not naturally fierce or cruel.
They must have originated among a more cruel people.
This next bit might sound cruel, I dont mean it to.
We heard of the cruel, unnecessary fighting in the far-away Pacific, and learned of the struggles going on between capital and labour.
I have already told her in simple language of the beautiful and helpful life of Jesus, and of His cruel death.
He has two neighbours, who live still farther north; one is King Winter, a cross and churlish old monarch, who is hard and cruel, and delights in making the poor suffer and weep; but the other neighbour is Santa Claus, a fine, good-natured, jolly old soul, who loves to do good, and who brings presents to the poor, and to nice little children at Christmas.
They did not know for some time after my recovery that the cruel fever had taken my sight and hearing; taken all the light and music and gladness out of my little life.
In this world one has to be cunning and cruel.
My cruel teacher was the bane of my existence.
I don't mean to be cruel but I don't want to lead you on.
Of course, she hadn't meant it to be cruel.
Ancient accounts agree in describing Alexander as a typically cruel and suspicious tyrant.
Procopius relates that Theodoric soon repented of his cruel deed, and that his death, which took place soon after, was hastened by remorse for the crime he had committed against his great counsellor.
The Spanish volunteers committed horrible excesses in Havana and other places; the rebels also burned and killed indiscriminatingly, and the war became increasingly cruel and sanguinary.
The character of Charlemagne himself undergoes a change; in the Chanson de Roland he is a venerable figure, mild and dignified, while later he appears as a cruel and typical tyrant (as is also the case with Ermanaric).
Although cruel to their enemies, they were hospitable to strangers.
They are generally miserably poor, cruel and haughty.
He could be ruthless, but was not habitually cruel.
He was cruel to his enemies no doubt, but he never forgot a benefit.
There were attempts to get the practice banned because it was considered cruel.
A little orphan girl lives with her cruel aunt in a rambling, tumbledown house.
The bully was a wretch because he was so cruel.
Judith's words to her little sister were cruel and condescending.