Afflicting
Afflicting adjective - Hard to accept or bear especially emotionally.
Usage example: the afflicting sight of so many earthquake victims was too much even for some hardened rescue workers
Cruel and afflicting are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Cruel" instead an adjective "Afflicting".
Cruel
Cruel adjective - Hard to accept or bear especially emotionally.
Usage example: the cruel situation of being orphaned at an early age
Afflicting and cruel are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Afflicting" instead an adjective "Cruel".
Mutual synonyms
Cite this Source
Cruel and Afflicting. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/cruel
Afflicting & Cruel. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/cruel>.
Cruel or Afflicting. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/cruel.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "afflicting" and "cruel" have occurred on timeline