easy
The cruel joke hurt his feelings.
What does Cruel mean?
Mean in a hurtful way.
Dictionary definition
Causing pain on purpose or not caring about others' feelings.
Example sentences
Cruel in a sentence
medium
It is cruel to scare a small animal on purpose.
hard
Cruel actions cause pain or show a lack of care for others.
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Practice the meaning of Cruel
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
What does cruel mean?
Cruel means causing pain on purpose or not caring about others' feelings.
Practice 2
Which word or phrase is closest in meaning to cruel?
Mean is close in meaning to cruel in this context.
Practice 3
Which word or phrase is a good contrast to cruel?
Kind gives a useful opposite or contrast to cruel.
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Cruel
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cruel
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WordCruel.
Partadjective.
MeaningCruel means Mean in a hurtful way.
ExampleExample: The cruel joke hurt his feelings.
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Synonyms
Words like Cruel
Antonyms
Opposite words
Synonym practice
Want to practice cruel synonyms in context? Try a Synonym Search question like "The cruel comment hurt Mia's feelings," then compare close word choices. Practice cruel synonyms.
Word family
Cruel word family
Base word
cruel
adjective
cruel
Base form.
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