Word
cruel
Phoneticscru·el, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈkɹuəɫ/
UK/kɹˈuːəl/
Definitions
01causing pain
B1 · Intermediate
adj. wanting to cause pain or suffering to others without feeling sorry.
adj. wilfully causing pain or distress to others; devoid of humane feelings or mercy.
日本語:残酷な※
“It was cruel of the children to tease the stray cat.”
“The dictator was known for his cruel treatment of political prisoners, often ignoring basic human rights to maintain his grip on power.”
Antonyms
02harsh or severe
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. very painful, difficult, or unfair.
adj. causing great pain or distress; severe or rigorous in a way that feels unjust.
“The cold winter was cruel to the homeless people in the city.”
“Fate dealt him a cruel blow when he lost his job only a week before his first child was born.”
03extremely
C1 · Advanced Dialect
adv. used to mean 'very' or 'extremely' when describing something bad.
adv. used as an intensifier meaning 'extremely' or 'terribly'.
“The weather today is cruel cold, so you should wear a heavy coat.”
“The hike was cruel hard on my knees, especially during the steep descent back to the base camp.”
04to ruin a chance
C2 · Proficiency Dialect · Informal
v. to spoil or ruin someone's chances of succeeding.
v. to frustrate or ruin a person's prospects or chances of success.
“A sudden leg injury cruelled his hopes of winning the race.”
“The scandal cruelled her chances of being elected to the board, despite her otherwise impeccable professional record.”
Usage
Common in Australian and New Zealand English.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “cruel” in context.
Verb
01. be cruel to children
“The teacher was never cruel to children, even when they were very naughty.”
verb + adj + prep
02. seem cruel
“It might seem cruel to wake him up so early, but we have a long journey ahead.”
verb + adj
Adjective
03. cruel fate
“By a cruel fate, the injury happened just two days before the final match.”
adj + noun
04. cruel joke
“Telling him he had won the lottery when he hadn't was a very cruel joke.”
adj + noun
05. cruel to animals
“It is illegal and wrong to be cruel to animals.”
adj + prep
Adverb
06. incredibly cruel
“Leaving the dog outside in the freezing cold was incredibly cruel.”
adv + adj
07. unnecessarily cruel
“His comments about her singing were unnecessarily cruel and made her cry.”
adv + adj
Etymology
From Middle English cruel, borrowed from Old French cruel, from Latin crūdēlis (“hard, severe, cruel”), akin to crūdus (“raw, crude”); see crude.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Related words
Idioms
02. cruel mistress
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/cruel
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0