adj. 25B6; adjective
a cruel man : BRUTAL, savage, inhuman, barbaric, barbarous, brutish, bloodthirsty, murderous, vicious, sadistic, wicked, evil, fiendish, diabolical, monstrous, abominable; callous, ruthless, merciless, pitiless, remorseless, uncaring, heartless, stony-hearted, hard-hearted, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, unfeeling, unkind, inhumane; dated dastardly; poetic/literary fell.
her death was a cruel blow : HARSH, severe, bitter, harrowing, heartbreaking, heart-rending, painful, agonizing, traumatic; formal grievous.
compassionate.