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cruelcausing pain or suffering to others without feeling concern about it

Part of speech: ADJECTIVE

Definition: causing pain or suffering to others without feeling concern about it

Pronunciation (IPA): /kruːəl/

Example Sentences

  • My alarm clock is so cruel - it rings at 6 AM even on weekends!
  • The cruel dictator showed no mercy to his enemies.
  • Life can be cruel sometimes, like when your ice cream falls on the ground.

cruel

ADJECTIVE

[/kruːəl/]

causing pain or suffering to others without feeling concern about it

The cruel king laughed as he ordered the prisoner's last meal taken away.
💡 Concept

The cruel king laughed as he ordered the prisoner's last meal taken away.

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/kruːəl/
🇬🇧 UK/kruːəl/

🌳Etymology

Rootcru
Suffix--el

Origin

From Latin crudelis, meaning 'bloodthirsty, harsh,' derived from crudus (raw, rough, unripe). The word passed through Medieval French before entering English, where it came to denote deliberate infliction of pain or suffering.

Breakdown

crudus (raw, rough) + -elis (adjective suffix forming descriptive quality), literally 'having the quality of being raw or harsh.'

🎵Rhyme

fueldueljeweltool
fuel
duel
jewel
tool

🔗Collocations

cruel fate
cruel punishment
cruel joke
be cruel to
cruel winter
cruel irony

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

My alarm clock is so cruel - it rings at 6 AM even on weekends!

The cruel dictator showed no mercy to his enemies.

😄 Fun example

Life can be cruel sometimes, like when your ice cream falls on the ground.

It's cruel to keep animals in such small cages.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

harshbrutalruthlessmercilessheartless

Antonyms

kindgentlecompassionate

Related

crueltycruellyviolencetortureabuse

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