Cruelty

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: cru=el=ty

CIDE DICTIONARY

Cruelty, n. [OF. cruelté, F. cruauté, fr. L. crudelitas, fr. crudelis. See Cruel.].

•  The attribute or quality of being cruel; a disposition to give unnecessary pain or suffering to others; inhumanity; barbarity.  [1913 Webster]

  "Pierced through the heart with your stern cruelty."  [1913 Webster]
•  A cruel and barbarous deed; inhuman treatment; the act of willfully causing unnecessary pain.  [1913 Webster]

  "Cruelties worthy of the dungeons of the Inquisition."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Cruelty, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a cruel act or attitude; indifference to another's suffering.
2 a succession of cruel acts; a continued cruel attitude (suffered much cruelty).
3 Law physical or mental harm inflicted (whether or not intentional), esp. as a ground for divorce.

Etymology

OF crualt{eacute} ult. f. L crudelitas

THESAURUS

Cruelty

animality, atrociousness, atrocity, barbarity, barbarousness, beastliness, bestiality, bloodiness, bloodlust, bloodthirst, bloodthirstiness, bloody-mindedness, brutality, brutalness, brutishness, cannibalism, cruelness, ferociousness, ferocity, fiendishness, fierceness, flintiness, hardness, harshness, heartlessness, inclemency, inexorableness, inhumaneness, inhumanity, mercilessness, pitilessness, relentlessness, remorselessness, ruthlessness, sadism, sadistic cruelty, sanguineousness, savagery, short shrift, tender mercies, truculence, uncompassionateness, unfeelingness, unforgivingness, unmercifulness, unremorsefulness, unsympatheticness, unyieldingness, vandalism, viciousness, violence, wanton cruelty

ROGET THESAURUS

Cruelty

Malevolence

N malevolence, bad intent, bad intention, unkindness, diskindness, ill nature, ill will, ill blood, bad blood, enmity, hate, malignity, malice, malice prepense, maliciousness, spite, despite, resentment, uncharitableness, incompassionateness, gall, venom, rancor, rankling, virulence, mordacity, acerbity churlishness, hardness of heart, heart of stone, obduracy, cruelty, cruelness, brutality, savagery, ferity, ferocity, barbarity, inhumanity, immanity, truculence, ruffianism, evil eye, cloven foot, torture, vivisection, ill turn, bad turn, affront, outrage, atrocity, ill usage, intolerance, persecution, tender mercies, unkindest cut of all, malevolent, unbenevolent, unbenign, ill-disposed, ill-intentioned, ill-natured, ill-conditioned, ill-contrived, evil-minded, evil- disposed, black-browed, malicious, malign, malignant, rancorous, despiteful, spiteful, mordacious, caustic, bitter, envenomed, acrimonious, virulent, unamiable, uncharitable, maleficent, venomous, grinding, galling, harsh, disobliging, unkind, unfriendly, ungracious, inofficious, invidious, uncandid, churlish, surly, sullen, cold, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, black-hearted, hard-hearted, flint-hearted, marble-hearted, stony-hearted, hard of heart, unnatural, ruthless, relentless, cruel, brutal, brutish, savage, savage as a bear, savage as a tiger, ferine, ferocious, inhuman, barbarous, barbaric, semibarbaric, fell, untamed, tameless, truculent, incendiary, bloodthirsty, atrocious, bloodyminded, fiendish, fiendlike, demoniacal, diabolic, diabolical, devilish, infernal, hellish, Satanic, Tartaran, malevolently, with bad intent, cruel as death, hard unkindness' alter'd eye, homo homini lupus, mala mens, malus animus, rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind, sharp-tooth'd unkindness.