cruelty
/ˈkɹuː(.ə)lti/
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: cruelties
Sense 1
Meaning · English
An indifference to suffering or pleasure in inflicting suffering.
Noun
Examples
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.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
A cruel act.
Noun
Examples
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 the
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “cruelty” mean?
An indifference to suffering or pleasure in inflicting suffering.
Is “cruelty” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.