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.
  • 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
  • The beauty products, which include body oil and body scrubs, is 100% paraben- and cruelty-free.
    — Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 18 July 2022
  • 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
  • Plus, the range of products is clean, vegan, and cruelty-free.
    — Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 19 July 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
  • The disconnect between the beauty of the setting and the cruelty displayed by the records is staggering.
    — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2022
  • Ozon softens the cruelty that coursed through Bitter Tears, showing how Fassbinder owned up to it.
    — Armond White, National Review, 2 Sep. 2022
  • The child cruelty charges stemmed from an incident caught on video July 6.
    — Henri Hollis, ajc, 24 Aug. 2022
  • Irvin faces six charges of animal cruelty and two charges of burglary.
    — Dallas News, 8 Feb. 2023
  • The man who owned him ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.
    — Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Kenneth McMillan effectively plays the grotesque patriarch Baron Vladimir for laughs, creating a jarring contrast with the character's casual cruelty.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 30 Dec. 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.

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