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Added 9 October 2026

cruel

/ˈkɹuːəl/ adjective

In Latin: crūdēlis, saevus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cruel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.
The supervisor was very cruel to Josh, as he would always give Josh the hardest, most degrading work he could find.
Harsh; severe.
We're certainly having quite a cruel winter this year.
Cool; awesome; neat.

adverb

To a great degree; terribly.

verb

To spoil or ruin (one's chance of success)
To violently provoke (a child) in the belief that this will make them more assertive.

noun

Alternative form of crewel.

Origin

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

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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