cruel: Meaning and Definition of

cru•el

Pronunciation: (kr'ul), [key]
— -er, -est.
  1. willfully or knowingly causing pain or distress to others.
  2. enjoying the pain or distress of others: the cruel spectators of the gladiatorial contests.
  3. causing or marked by great pain or distress: a cruel remark; a cruel affliction.
  4. rigid; stern; strict; unrelentingly severe.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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