Spanish Conversation · Level 50
75 words
Spanish word
cruel
Pronunciation
IPA/kɾwel/
Meaning
- adjectivecruel
Example
No seas cruel con los niños.
Don't be cruel to the children.
More examples
La acción fue cruel.
The act was cruel.
Core concept
Deliberate harshness without compassion.
Common phrases
ser cruel con alguien
be cruel to someone
trato cruel
cruel treatment
acto cruel
cruel act
Similar words
despiadado: Relentlessly severe, showing no pity or leniency.
desalmado: Cold and heartless, lacking sympathy or compassion.
inhumano: Lacking basic human compassion, expressing dehumanizing treatment.
sádico: Taking pleasure in others' suffering.
Definition in Spanish
Que muestra falta de compasión y actúa con dureza hacia los demás.
Word origin
From Latin crūdēlis (from crudus 'raw, unripe'), originally meaning unfeeling, it passed through Romance languages into Spanish as cruel.
Usage tips
- In casual speech people say ¡qué cruel! jokingly among friends, but in polite or formal contexts choose duro or severo to avoid offense.
Other meanings
- heartlessadjective
- mercilessadjective
- brutaladjective
Opposites
- misericordiosomercifuladjective
- compasivocompassionateadjective
Related words
- crueldadcrueltynoun
- cruelmentecruellyadverb