cruel is on the Basic English 850 List.
crime - cruel - crush

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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Positive
cruel

Comparative
crueller

Superlative
cruellest

Positive
cruel

Comparative
crueler

Superlative
cruelest

  1. Someone who is cruel is mean. They hurt other people and don't care, or they like hurting other people.
    The cruel guard pushed the prisoners so hard that some of them fell down.
  2. An action is cruel if only cruel people would do it.
    It's cruel to make children work 10 hours a day.
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