cruel

noun

Alternative form of crewel. [Worsted yarn, slackly twisted, used for embroidery.]

verb

(chiefly Australia, New Zealand) To spoil or ruin (one's chance of success)

(Australia, ambitransitive) To violently provoke (a child) in the belief that this will make them more assertive.

adjective

Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.

Harsh; severe.

(slang) Cool; awesome; neat.

adverb

(nonstandard) To a great degree; terribly.

Roots

crudeliscruel- · Latin · cruel, raw

Words related to cruel

roughshodadj cruelnessn boarishadj pitilessnessn unmercifulnessn crueltyn cruellyadv inhumannessn inhumanelyadv mercilessnessn insensateadj sadisticallyadv inhumanlyadv hardheartedadj brutallyadv bestiallyadv brutifyv ruthlessnessn barbarouslyadv

Synonyms & related words for cruel

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of cruel — including brutal, vicious, barbarous, merciless, inhumane, pitiless. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to cruel

Explore words related to cruel — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include roughshod, cruelness, boarish, pitilessness, unmercifulness, cruelty, cruelly, inhumanness. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for cruel

Common synonyms for cruel include brutal, vicious, barbarous, merciless, inhumane, pitiless, savage, unmerciful — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does cruel come from?

The word cruel breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root cruel-, from Latin crudelis (“cruel, raw”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.