cruelty

noun

cru·​el·​ty ˈkrü(-ə)l-tē How to pronounce cruelty (audio)
plural cruelties
1
: the quality or state of being cruel
2
a
: a cruel action
b
: inhuman treatment
3
: marital conduct held (as in a divorce action) to endanger life or health or to cause mental suffering or fear

Examples of cruelty in a Sentence

a dictator known for his cruelty The cruelty of children can be surprising. They protested against cruelty to animals.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Officers added at the time that she'd been arrested and charged with assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful restraint in the first degree, cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the first degree. Becca Longmire, People.com, 2 Apr. 2025 Sullivan was arrested on March 12 and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment. Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2025 Arriaga Guerrero also faces charges of collision involving injury, animal cruelty and theft of a motor vehicle, according to police. Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2025 That was the start of us talking about male rage, our own anger, our own cruelty. Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cruelty

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cruelte, from Anglo-French cruelté, from Latin crudelitat-, crudelitas, from crudelis

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cruelty was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cruelty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruelty. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

cruelty

noun
cru·​el·​ty ˈkrü-əl-tē How to pronounce cruelty (audio)
plural cruelties
1
: the quality or state of being cruel
2
: cruel treatment

Legal Definition

cruelty

noun
cru·​el·​ty
plural cruelties
1
a
: an intentional or criminally negligent act that causes pain and suffering
cruelty to animals
cruelty to children
b
: mistreatment or neglect that causes pain and suffering compare abuse

Note: Cruelty is an aggravating circumstance to a crime (as murder).

2
: a spouse's conduct that endangers life or health or causes mental suffering or fear

called also cruel and inhuman treatment

Note: Cruelty is a ground for divorce.

More from Merriam-Webster on cruelty

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