Cruel Definition

kro͝oəl

cruelest, cruellest, crueler

adjective

cruelest, cruellest, crueler

Deliberately seeking to inflict pain and suffering; enjoying others' suffering; without mercy or pity.

Webster's New World

Causing, or of a kind to cause, pain, distress, etc.

Webster's New World

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

Wiktionary

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

verb

To spoil or ruin (one's chance of success)

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Cruel

Base Form:

cruel

Comparative:

crueler

Superlative:

cruelest

Middle English, from Old French, from Latin crūdēlis (“hard, severe, cruel”), akin to crūdus (“raw, crude”); see crude.

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old French from Latin crūdēlis kreuə- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition