cruelness

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noun

The state of being cruel; cruelty.

Similar
crueltyharshness
OriginMiddle English cruelnesse →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nouncruelness (usually uncountable, plural cruelnesses)

plural cruelnesses

  1. uncountableusuallyThe state of being cruel; cruelty.

    ‘Sea! You listening to me at this moment I am speaking to you? You are full of cruelness, you are like women, you sea! Have you finished with me yet or what?’

    2006, Alexis Wright, Carpentaria, Constable (2009), page 259

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe quality of being cruel and causing tension or annoyance

Similar
crueltyharshness
Broader
malevolencemalevolencymalice
Also see
crueltyharshness

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishcruelnesse
  2. Englishcruelness

From Middle English cruelnesse; equivalent to cruel + -ness.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

cruelness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cruelness

MLA

“cruelness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cruelness. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cruelness,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cruelness.

Source: cruelness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.