cruel

comparative crueler · comparative crueller · comparative more cruel · superlative cruelest · superlative cruellest · superlative most cruel · alternative obsolete cruell

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

   The supervisor was very cruel to Josh, as he would always give Josh the hardest, most degrading work he could find.

   Synonyms: inhuman, sadistic, spiteful · Antonyms: merciful

2. Harsh; severe.

   We're certainly having quite a cruel winter this year.

   3 more examples

   The thought that something might befall him that would leave her entirely at the mercy of this beast caused him greater anxiety than the probability that almost certain death awaited her should she be left entirely alone upon the outskirts of the cruel forest.

   1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 193

   You may be sure they watched the cliffs on their left eagerly for any sign of a break or any place where they could climb them; but those cliffs remained cruel.

   1951, C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia

   He was physically the toughest of us and wore five layers of polar clothing, but the cold was cruel and wore us down hour after hour.

   2013, Ranulph Fiennes, Cold: Extreme Adventures at the Lowest Temperatures on Earth

   Synonyms: brutal, callous, strict, brutal, callous, cold, insensate, hardhanded

3. slangCool; awesome; neat.

alternative obsolete cruell

1. nonstandardnot comparableTo a great degree; terribly.

   'I've never got arthritis, though my old dad had it something cruel.'

   2016, Kerry Greenwood, Murder and Mendelssohn, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 219

   1 more example

   "But I've served 'im ten years, and I'm fond of 'im, and, mind you, 'e's a great man, when all's said an' done, and it's an honor to serve 'im. But 'e does try one cruel at times."

   1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC

present singular third person cruels · US participle present crueling · UK participle present cruelling · US participle past crueled · US past crueled · UK participle past cruelled · UK past cruelled · alternative obsolete cruell

1. AustraliaNew ZealandTo spoil or ruin (one's chance of success)

   What cruelled him was that Imperial Hotel contract.

   1937, Vance Palmer, Legend for Sanderson, Sydney: Angus & Robertson, page 226

   3 more examples

   He was on the fringes of Test selection last year before a shoulder injury cruelled his chances.

   2014 April 1, The Sydney Morning Herald

   A shortage of berth space for mega container ships will restrict capacity at Melbourne's port, cruelling Labor's attempts to get maximum value from its privatisation, a leading shipping expert has warned.

   2015 September 8, The Age

   The Trump effect has cruelled Peter Dutton’s campaign.

   2025 May 1, Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry, “The Trump effect has left Dutton exposed and Albanese in poll position in this atypical election race”, in The Guardian

2. AustraliaambitransitiveTo violently provoke (a child) in the belief that this will make them more assertive.

   […] I was referring to the area where you were talking about this practice of cruelling; the pinching of babies, sometimes so hard that their skin breaks and may go septic.

   2009 July 2, Mark Colvin, “Peter Sutton discusses the politics of suffering in Aboriginal communities”, in ABC, archived from the original on 17 Jan 2010

   1 more example

   Violence is apparently introduced early by the practice of "cruelling": children even in their first months are physically punished and then encouraged to seek retribution by punishing the punisher.

   2007, Stewart Motha, “Reconciliation as Domination”, in Scott Veitch, editor, Law and the Politics of Reconciliation, Routledge, published 2016, page 83

plural cruels · alternative obsolete cruell

1. alternativecountableuncountableAlternative form of crewel.