cruelty
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the quality of being very unkind or enjoying the pain of others.
the abstract quality of indifference to suffering or the active pleasure in inflicting it. Uncountable in this sense.
Simple“The film showed the cruelty of the soldiers during the war.”
In context“The philosopher argued that systemic cruelty often stems from a lack of empathy rather than a desire for destruction.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a specific action that causes pain or suffering to someone or something.
a specific act or instance of cruel behaviour. Countable in this sense.
Simple“Leaving a dog outside in the freezing cold is a terrible cruelty.”
In context“The historian documented the various cruelties inflicted upon the local population by the occupying forces.”
UsageOften used in the plural to describe a series of bad actions.
“Jason Arday's family spoke of the "public cruelty" the academic faced before his death last week.”
“They said: “The public cruelty Jason was subjected to was too much for any man to bear.”
From Middle English cruelte, from Old French crualté (French cruauté), from Latin crudelitas. By surface analysis, cruel + -ty.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.