as in ruthlessly
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Recent Examples of cruelly
Immigrant rights advocates have criticized the practice as inhumane and say ICE has cruelly targeted people following the rules by turning up to their court dates to meet quotas.
—
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
This year’s ceremony was not perfect, of course — there were some sound-production issues, there were some presenters with milquetoast bits (as always), and a few winners were played off the stage with cruelly abrupt music cues.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Andrew Pigott Sadio Mane (Al Nassr and Senegal) Injury cruelly denied the former Liverpool winger the opportunity to grace the World Cup in Qatar four years ago.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
As a young schoolboy, Davidson was often cruelly stigmatized because no one had bothered to diagnose his disorder.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
Her boss behaves erratically and cruelly, the house has strange rules and Millie is forced to sleep in a small, locked attic room.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
The obvious price gap between her Zara dress and the Bottega handbag gifted to her by Jack is cruelly teased out in what would usually be the turning point of a scene like this.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
Then the test was over; the untouched Negroni was rather cruelly taken away.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Life is cruelly short sometimes.
—Dawn Klavon, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
This year’s ceremony was not perfect, of course — there were some sound-production issues, there were some presenters with milquetoast bits (as always), and a few winners were played off the stage with cruelly abrupt music cues.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Andrew Pigott Sadio Mane (Al Nassr and Senegal) Injury cruelly denied the former Liverpool winger the opportunity to grace the World Cup in Qatar four years ago.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
As a young schoolboy, Davidson was often cruelly stigmatized because no one had bothered to diagnose his disorder.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
Her boss behaves erratically and cruelly, the house has strange rules and Millie is forced to sleep in a small, locked attic room.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
The obvious price gap between her Zara dress and the Bottega handbag gifted to her by Jack is cruelly teased out in what would usually be the turning point of a scene like this.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
Then the test was over; the untouched Negroni was rather cruelly taken away.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Life is cruelly short sometimes.
—Dawn Klavon, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruelly
Adverb
-
What does ruthlessly cloning the same mouse tell us about our biology?—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The Anabaptists were a radical nonconformist sect that took the egalitarian, pacifist, and renunciatory injunctions of the Bible seriously and tried to organize communal living, before being ruthlessly persecuted by the authorities and other Protestant sects.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
At his previous school, he was mercilessly bullied.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
When these middlemen resisted British pressure, Britain protected its commercial interests mercilessly and violently.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
There is a troubling suggestion of abuse, implying that Jack might have been ill-treated by his mom (and saved by Helen), rather than heartlessly abandoned.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
14 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
The first hour, set at a resort that’s like a singles cruise through the Twilight Zone (or Bachelor in Paradise beamed in from a brutal alternate universe), contains some of the most pitilessly funny scenes of the filmmaker’s career.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Marley’s level of fame and influence meant that, after his death at 36, his legacy, his spirit, his brand was to be shaped by a record industry that could be callously indifferent to truth or quality at the expense of revenue.—
Eric Harvey,
Pitchfork,
18 Jan. 2026
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Some industry representatives ahead of the meeting expressed worry that attending risked casting them as willing participants in a callously opportunistic grab for Venezuela’s crude, people familiar with the matter said.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Building Alligator Alcatraz and being proud of treating people inhumanely while at the same time stealing money for his charity is disgusting.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The oversight tour came after activists alleged detainees were being treated inhumanely at the facility.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Generational and ideological battle lines were drawn; perhaps most bitterly, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and aligned super political action committees spent $7 million in this district alone.—
David Daley,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate find themselves at a familiar impasse, bitterly divided over which approach to take.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Yet, since the post went up, some people have unkindly critiqued her cheeks, nose, chin and complexion, while others wonder what the fuss is all about.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Tabloids and magazines regularly reported on the state of the relationship, often unkindly.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cruelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruelly. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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