cruel

adjective/kruəl/

Frequency rank: #3,599 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

Deliberately causing pain or suffering to others; unkind.

Illustration for the English word “cruel”

Example sentence

The dictator's cruel treatment of prisoners shocked the world.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 3,501–3,600