/ kruːəl; NAmE / adjective ( cruel·ler , cruel·lest )
1.
~ (to sb/sth) having a desire to cause pain and suffering :
a cruel dictator
I can't stand people who are cruel to animals.
Her eyes were cruel and hard.
Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind (= make sb suffer because it will be good for them later) .
OPP kind
2.
causing pain or suffering :
a cruel punishment / joke
Her father's death was a cruel blow .
► cruel·ly / ˈkruːəli; NAmE / adverb :
The dog had been cruelly treated.
I was cruelly deceived.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : via Old French from Latin crudelis , related to crudus raw, rough.