Cruelty — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering

feelings of extreme heartlessness

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kɹˈuːəlti/

🇬🇧British English

/kɹˈuːəlti/

🇮🇳Indian English

/kɹˈuːəlti/

2 syllables Say it as /kɹˈuːəlti/.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

pitilessness cruelness harshness mercilessness inhuman treatment ruthlessness

Word Forms

merciless	adjective	having or showing no mercy
pitiless	adjective	deficient in humane and kindly feelings
ruthless	adjective	without mercy or pity
cruel	adjective	(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
harsh	adjective	unkind or cruel or uncivil

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Grausamkeit

eine grausame Tat; eine absichtliche Zufügung von Schmerz und Leid

🇫🇷French

cruauté

un acte cruel; une infliction délibérée de douleur et de souffrance

🇪🇸Spanish

crueldad

un acto cruel; una imposición deliberada de dolor y sufrimiento

🇮🇹Italian

crudeltà

un atto crudele; una deliberata inflizione di dolore e sofferenza

🇳🇱Dutch

wreedheid

een wrede daad; het opzettelijk toebrengen van pijn en lijden

🇵🇹Portuguese

crueldade

um ato cruel; uma inflição deliberada de dor e sofrimento

🇷🇺Russian

жестокость

жестокий поступок; умышленное причинение боли и страданий

India

🇮🇳Hindi

क्रूरता

एक क्रूर कृत्य; दर्द और पीड़ा को जानबूझकर भड़काना

🇧🇩Bengali

নিষ্ঠুরতা

একটি নিষ্ঠুর কাজ; বেদনা এবং যন্ত্রণার একটি ইচ্ছাকৃত প্রবণতা

🇮🇳Tamil

கொடுமை

ஒரு கொடூரமான செயல்; வலி மற்றும் துன்பத்தை வேண்டுமென்றே ஏற்படுத்துதல்

🇮🇳Telugu

క్రూరత్వం

ఒక క్రూరమైన చర్య; నొప్పి మరియు బాధను ఉద్దేశపూర్వకంగా కలిగించడం

🇮🇳Marathi

क्रूरता

एक क्रूर कृत्य; जाणीवपूर्वक वेदना आणि दुःख

🇮🇳Gujarati

ક્રૂરતા

એક ક્રૂર કૃત્ય; ઇરાદાપૂર્વક પીડા અને વેદના

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕ್ರೌರ್ಯ

ಕ್ರೂರ ಕೃತ್ಯ; ನೋವು ಮತ್ತು ಸಂಕಟದ ಉದ್ದೇಶಪೂರ್ವಕವಾಗಿ ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುವುದು

🇮🇳Malayalam

ക്രൂരത

ക്രൂരമായ പ്രവൃത്തി; വേദനയും കഷ്ടപ്പാടും ബോധപൂർവം അടിച്ചേൽപ്പിക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਬੇਰਹਿਮੀ

ਇੱਕ ਬੇਰਹਿਮ ਕੰਮ; ਦਰਦ ਅਤੇ ਦੁੱਖ ਦਾ ਇੱਕ ਜਾਣਬੁੱਝ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵ

🇵🇰Urdu

ظلم

ایک ظالمانہ عمل؛ درد اور تکلیف کا جان بوجھ کر حملہ

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

残酷

残忍的行为；故意造成痛苦和痛苦

🇯🇵Japanese

残酷さ

残酷な行為。意図的に痛みや苦しみを与えること

🇰🇷Korean

잔학

잔인한 짓; 의도적으로 고통과 괴로움을 가하는 행위

🇻🇳Vietnamese

sự tàn ác

một hành động tàn ác; cố ý gây đau đớn và đau khổ

🇹🇭Thai

ความโหดร้าย

การกระทำที่โหดร้าย การจงใจสร้างความเจ็บปวดและความทุกข์ทรมาน

🇮🇩Indonesian

kekejaman

tindakan yang kejam; penderitaan dan penderitaan yang disengaja

🇵🇭Filipino

kalupitan

isang malupit na gawa; isang sadyang pagpapahirap at pagdurusa

🇲🇾Malay

kekejaman

perbuatan kejam; penderitaan dan penderitaan yang disengajakan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

القسوة

عمل قاسي؛ التسبب المتعمد للألم والمعاناة

🇮🇷Persian

ظلم

یک عمل ظالمانه؛ تحمیل عمدی درد و رنج

🇹🇷Turkish

zulüm

zalimce bir hareket; kasıtlı olarak acı ve ıstırap verilmesi

🇮🇱Hebrew

אַכְזָרִיוּת

מעשה אכזרי; גרימה מכוונת של כאב וסבל

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'cruelty'?

The primary meaning of 'cruelty' is 'a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'cruelty' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'cruelty' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'cruelty' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'cruelty' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'cruelty' in your daily reading?

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Do you find 'cruelty' easy to spell?

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In your opinion, does the word 'cruelty' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Neutral

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Which age group is most likely to use 'cruelty' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

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How likely are you to use 'cruelty' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'cruelty' as formal, casual, or slang?

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Slang

Archaic

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