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. Sipho P Nkosi:

   Some hopefuls believe that the world can be saved, but the cruel and twisted say never.

2. Meghan Markle:

   What matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create.

3. Jk Rowling:

   Sirius: It's cruel that I got to spend so much time with James and Lily, and you so little. But know this; the ones that love us never really leave us. Dumbledore:Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. Ginny:“The thing about growing up with Fred and George [...] is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve.”

4. William Bradford:

   And for the season it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent, and subject to cruel and fierce storms.

5. Juvenal:

   Now we suffer the evils of a long peace; luxury more cruel than war broods over us and avenges a conquered world.