How to Use cruelty in a Sentence

cruelty

noun
Definition of crueltynext
Synonyms for crueltynext
  • The cruelty of children can be surprising.
  • They protested against cruelty to animals.
  • Ebenezer Scrooge’s greed finds expression in callousness or cruelty in all walks of his life.
    — Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 1 Dec. 2024
  • This vegan and cruelty-free plumper is only $7, a stark contrast to the other contenders on this list.
    — Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2022
  • As cruelty reigned, the year’s top releases sought stability.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024
  • Gibbons was booked into jail on two counts of animal cruelty and one count of killing livestock, NCSO said.
    — Olivia Rose, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Without that right of open discourse, intellectual life devolves into mere cruelty and power seeking.
    — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2022
  • The trusted running back waving goodbye with those velvety soft mitts is another reminder of the cruelty and evanescence of the NFL.
    — Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The former camp clearly won out, implementing a plan whose cruelty was made worse by the administration’s trademark incompetence.
    — Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2022
  • By separating the cruelty from the constructive, a company can turn criticism into a catalyst for meaningful growth.
    — Molly McPherson, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
  • The game would go the distance, to the sweet cruelty of penalties.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2022
  • The movie is a study of how avoidance is its own form of cruelty.
    — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024
  • There were some ironies, not to say cruelties, to this mission.
    — Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
  • Her heart knows fear and despair and the cruelty of cancer.
    — Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 16 Dec. 2022
  • Some of them, who had suffered the regime’s cruelties and hypocrisies, viewed their contacts with the journalists as a chance to set the record straight.
    — Paul Musgrave, Washington Post, 3 July 2023
  • The 'extreme cruelty' around the global trade in frog legs What does cancer smell like?
    — Magazine, 7 Mar. 2023
  • To end this cruelty, the U.S. must apply more pressure.
    — Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
  • The sister of the teen with cerebral palsy who died at the Blouins’ home in 1997 wrote that the couple’s cruelty knew no bounds — and yet no one stopped them for years.
    — Andrea Estes, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Mar. 2023
  • This year the formula for the oil will be animal-cruelty free.
    — Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 5 Apr. 2023
  • For some, cruelty and bullying have been seen as strengths and signs of success.
    — Annie Lane, cleveland, 27 Nov. 2022
  • In 2022, when cruelty to animals is condemned, the rodeo mind-set must evolve.
    — Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Aug. 2022
  • Without the veneer of celebrity, all that remains is the cruelty.
    — Jamil Smith, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2023
  • Irvin has been charged with six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of burglary.
    — Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2023
  • Many of the concentration camp scenes drive home the cruelty of such places, and certainly put the audience in the shoes of those who were there.
    — Amber Dowling, Variety, 2 May 2024
  • The verdict came after the mother pleaded guilty to four charges of child cruelty at a hearing on Oct. 9, the CPS confirmed.
    — Becca Longmire, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024
  • Amid an air of myth that abets a plot twist, the play reflects on prejudice and cruelty in a way that resonates for this country.
    — Celia Wren, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023
  • This time, Germany was undone by its own middling play over three games and the ruthless cruelty of group-stage math.
    — John Branch, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2022
  • With themes of cruelty and retribution, this movie is a fresh take on horror for food lovers.
    — Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
  • Even the young survivors of the Sandy Hook tragedy were not spared the cruelty of these conspiracy theories.
    — Amanda J. Crawford, CNN, 14 Dec. 2022
  • There is little mention of winners or losers on the show, no monetary prize at the end, no cruelty.
    — Vulture Editors, Vulture, 11 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cruelty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: