cruel
pronunciation
How to pronounce cruel in British English:
UK [ˈkruːəl]
How to pronounce cruel in American English:
US [ˈkruːəl]
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- Adjective:
- lacking or showing kindness or compassion or mercy
- (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
- (of weapons or instruments) causing suffering and pain
- used of circumstances (especially weather) that cause suffering
Word Origin
- cruel
- cruel: [13] Aptly, cruelty and crudeness are closely linked etymologically. Cruel comes via Old French cruel from Latin crūdēlis, a relative of Latin crūdus (which actually meant ‘cruel’ as well as ‘raw’ and ‘bloody’). Both come ultimately from an Indo-European base which also produced English raw, Greek kréas ‘flesh’ (whence English creosote and pancreas), and Old Slavic kruvi ‘blood’. (Crude is a 14thcentury borrowing direct from Latin.)=> creosote, crude, pancreas, raw
- cruel (adj.)
- early 13c., from Old French cruel (12c.), earlier crudel, from Latin crudelis "rude, unfeeling; cruel, hard-hearted," related to crudus "rough, raw, bloody" (see crude). Related: Cruelly. Latin medial -d- began to disappear 10c. in French: compare chance/cadentia, cheoir/cadere, joyeux/gaudiosus, juif/judaeus, moyen/medianus, obéir/obedire, séance/sedentia.
Example
- 1. Why did fate played such cruel games with him ?
- 2. Some inflict cruel and unusual punishments on their flocks .
- 3. Recently I have been accused of being a shock comic , and cruel and cynical .
- 4. He is prone to denying the cruel excesses of japan 's imperial past .
- 5. Educate others about cruel farming practices .