- 1cruel (to somebody/something) having a desire to cause pain and suffering a cruel dictator I can't stand people who are cruel to animals. Her eyes were cruel and hard. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind (= make someone suffer because it will be good for them later). opposite kind
- 2causing pain or suffering a cruel punishment/joke Her father's death was a cruel blow.
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NAmE//ˈkruəl//, NAmE//krul//
(crueler, cruelest, (Canadian English usually)crueller, cruellest)adverb The dog had been cruelly treated. I was cruelly deceived.See cruel in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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