Dictionary

cruelty en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkɹu(.ə)lti/ (US)
• [ˈkɹʊwltɪj] (British, Southern, Standard)
• (US) audio
• [ˈkɹʉwltɪj] (British, Southern, Standard)
• /ˈkɹuː(.ə)lti/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English cruelte, from Old French crualté (French cruauté), from Latin crudelitas. By surface analysis, cruel + -ty.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) An indifference to suffering or pleasure in inflicting suffering.
   • Fear of their cargo bred a savage cruelty into the crew. One captain, to strike terror into the rest, killed a slave and dividing heart, liver and entrails into 300 pieces made each of the slaves eat one, threatening those who refused with the same torture. Such incidents were not rare. 1963, C.L.R. James, The Black Jacobins, 2nd Revised edition, page 9:
   • YSL, as he is often called, is equally capable of casual, aristocratic cruelty and earthy, spontaneous tenderness, and when you study his face it can be hard to distinguish boredom from rapture. 2015 May 7, A. O. Scott, “Review: ‘Saint Laurent,’ Beautiful People, High Fashion and Career at Its Pinnacle”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2019:
2. (countable) A cruel act.
   • The Begums' ministers, on the contrary, to extort from them the disclosure of the place which concealed the treasures, were, […] after being fettered and imprisoned, led out on to a scaffold, and this array of terrours proving unavailing, the meek tempered Middleton, as a dernier resort, menaced them with a confinement in the fortress of Chunargar. Thus, my lords, was a British garrison made the climax of cruelties! 1788 June, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, “Mr. Sheridan’s Speech, on Summing Up the Evidence on the Second, or Begum Charge against Warren Hastings, Esq., Delivered before the High Court of Parliament, June 1788”, in Select Speeches, Forensick and Parliamentary, with Prefatory Remarks by N[athaniel] Chapman, M.D., volume I, [Philadelphia, Pa.]: Published by Hopkins and Earle, no. 170, Market Street, published 1808, →OCLC, page 474:
   • Gay songwriter behind bars! Needs sincere letter to help ease the tension from cruelties inside the joint. 1980 December 27, Walter Williams, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 23, page 15:

Forms

Antonyms

clemency · mercy

Deriveds

anticruelty · cruelty-free · mental cruelty

Synonyms

mercilessness · ruthlessness · barbarism

Translations (133)

ga ainiocht (indifference to suffering) · hi क्रूरता (indifference to suffering) · fur crudeltât (indifference to suffering) · ja 残酷さ (indifference to suffering) · es crueldad (cruel act) · it crudeltà (indifference to suffering) · ru безжа́лостность (indifference to suffering) · ca crueltat (indifference to suffering) · hy դաժանություն (indifference to suffering) · bg жесто́кост (indifference to suffering) · ro cruzime (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · gl crueldade (indifference to suffering) · de Grausamkeit (cruel act) · de Grausamkeit (indifference to suffering) · ast crueldá (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · hi क्रूरता (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · hi निर्दयता (indifference to suffering) · uk безсерде́чність (indifference to suffering) · de Grausamkeit (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · ka სისასტიკე (indifference to suffering) · fr cruauté (indifference to suffering) · sv elakhet (cruel act) · gd mì-chneastachd (cruel act) · ast crueldá (cruel act) · es crueldad (indifference to suffering) · ka დაუნდობლობა (cruel act) · uz shafqatsizlik (indifference to suffering) · nb grusomhet (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · it crudeltà (cruel act) · ga neamhdhuineatacht (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · fi julmuus (cruel act) · hi निर्ममता (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · hi बर्बरता (indifference to suffering) · ru свире́пость (indifference to suffering) · ru жесто́кость (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · enm tyraundise (cruel act) · ga turcántacht (indifference to suffering) · ga neamhdhuineatacht (indifference to suffering) · fi raakuus (cruel act) · ar قَسْوَة (indifference to suffering) · pt crueldade (indifference to suffering) · oc cruseltat (indifference to suffering) · nl wreedheid (indifference to suffering) · ka დაუნდობლობა (indifference to suffering) · tr zulüm (cruel act) · sl krutost (indifference to suffering) · ar وَحْشِيَّة (indifference to suffering) · la immānitās (indifference to suffering) · ru жесто́кость (cruel act) · ka შეუბრალებლობა (indifference to suffering) · la crūdēlitās (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · de Quälerei (cruel act) · uk жорсто́кість (indifference to suffering) · ga cruálacht (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · kk жауыздық (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · gd neo-thruacantachd (indifference to suffering) · kk қатыгездік (indifference to suffering) · gd neo-thruacantachd (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · ast crueldá (indifference to suffering) · fi julmuus (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · cmn 殘忍 /残忍 (indifference to suffering) · pl okrucieństwo (indifference to suffering) · ka ულმობელობა (indifference to suffering) · sv grymhet (indifference to suffering) · bg свире́пост (indifference to suffering) · ota دینسزلك (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · gl crueldade (cruel act) · ga danarthacht (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · ml ക്രൂരത (cruel act) · ru бессерде́чность (indifference to suffering) · it crudeltà (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · be лю́тасць (indifference to suffering) · sv grymhet (cruel act) · cs krutost (indifference to suffering) · ce къизалла (indifference to suffering) · ang wælhrēownes (indifference to suffering) · bg жесто́кост (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · sk krutosť (indifference to suffering) · ga ainiocht (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · mk суровост (indifference to suffering) · ka სისასტიკე (cruel act) · ka შეუბრალებლობა (cruel act) · da grusomhed (indifference to suffering) · fi raakuus (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · ca crueltat (cruel act) · cs krutost (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · gd mì-chneastachd (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · ko 잔학 (indifference to suffering) · ga cruálacht (indifference to suffering) · fr cruauté (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · ro cruzime (cruel act) · nb grusomhet (indifference to suffering) · nl wreedheid (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · eo kruelaĵo (cruel act) · lv nežēlība (indifference to suffering) · nl wreedte (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · ca crueltat (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · fi raakuus (indifference to suffering) · ota دینسزلك (indifference to suffering) · be жо́рсткасць (indifference to suffering) · ga cruáil (indifference to suffering) · ga turcántacht (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · ga cruáil (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · gd mì-chneastachd (indifference to suffering) · nl gruwzaamheid (indifference to suffering) · grc ὠμότης (indifference to suffering) · gd neo-thruacantachd (cruel act) · es crueldad (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · nl wreedheid (cruel act) · oc crudeltat (indifference to suffering) · kk жауыздық (cruel act) · id kejahatan (cruel act) · sh okrutnost (indifference to suffering) · eo krueleco (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · nl wreedte (indifference to suffering) · pt crueldade (cruel act) · nl gruwzaamheid (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · enm tyrauntrie (cruel act) · ro cruzime (indifference to suffering) · ru жесто́кость (indifference to suffering) · hi क्रूरता (cruel act) · nb grusomhet (cruel act) · gl crueldade (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · eo krueleco (indifference to suffering) · ga danarthacht (indifference to suffering) · lv cietsirdība (indifference to suffering) · fi julmuus (indifference to suffering) · pt perversidade (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · sh окрутност (indifference to suffering) · he אכזריות (positive pleasure in inflicting suffering) · mk свирепост (indifference to suffering) · ka ულმობელობა (cruel act) · cs krutost (cruel act)