What is another word for cruel?

Synonyms for cruel
ˈkru əlcru·el

This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word cruel.

Wiktionary4.3 / 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 Antonyms3.8 / 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

Princeton's WordNet4.7 / 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 Contribution0.0 / 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  

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words5.0 / 1 vote

  1. crueladjective

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

How to pronounce cruel?

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Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
#2028wild
#2384criminal
#3009evil
#4538fell
#4924tough
#9271brutal
#9792savage
#11289cruel
#11437harsh
#12199rude
#15142fierce
#15592malignant
#15992vicious
#16835furious
#18006cruelty
#24683poisonous
#26052horrific
#26085ruthless
#26177barbarian
#27959feral
#31262inhuman
#36370gruesome
#39424ferocious
#40816sadistic
#42154heartless
#43810barbaric
#48929merciless
#49169unrelenting
#50274atrocious
#50386inhumane
#51420venomous
#51788untamed
#53842callous
#54728bestial
#55032deplorable
#58505reprehensible
#66341barbarous
#70510beastly
#72930brutish
#73839inexorable
#98549uncouth
#102327uncivilized
#126547roughshod
#136732quarrelsome
#139191maleficent
#205995truculent
#222327unmerciful
#236180uncivilised
#290986condemnable

How to use cruel in a sentence?

  1. Rudy Giuliani:

    I'm very proud because he's got that spirit, my God , nothing gets him down. But what they've been doing to him is heartless, My God , nothing's cruel.

  2. 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.

  3. Henry Graham Greene:

    Our worst enemies here are not the ignorant and simple, however cruel our worst enemies are the intelligent and corrupt.

  4. Christie Roberts:

    Today’s decision dramatically escalates the stakes of the 2022 elections, and we’re making sure Americans have the tools they need to channel their anger into action, this on-the-ground organizing work will help elect Democrats who will fight to protect women’s right to make their own health care decisions and ensure the GOP’s cruel agenda to making abortion illegal and punish women is front and center for voters across the Senate battlegrounds.

  5. Nils Melzer:

    Mr. Assange has been deliberately exposed, for a period of several years, to progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the cumulative effects of which can only be described as psychological torture.


Translations for cruel

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"cruel." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Nov. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/cruel>.

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