Definition of CRUEL

cruel

Plural: cruels

Adjective Satellite

  • (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
    • "cruel tortures"

Adj

  • Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.
  • Harsh; severe.
  • Cool; awesome; neat.

Adv

  • To a great degree; terribly.

Verb

  • To spoil or ruin (one's chance of success)
  • To violently provoke (a child) in the belief that this will make them more assertive.

Noun

  • Alternative form of crewel.

Adjective

  • Indifferent to others' suffering; causing pain or distress.

Examples

  • It felt CRUEL to leave his opponent with no good plays, but that’s Scrabble strategy.
  • The supervisor was very cruel to Josh, as he would always give Josh the hardest, most degrading work he could find.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English cruel, borrowed from Old French cruel, from Latin crūdēlis (“hard, severe, cruel”), akin to crūdus (“raw, crude”); see crude.

Antonyms

merciful

Scrabble Score: 7

cruel: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
cruel: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
cruel: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

cruel: valid Words With Friends Word