Cruel
Earnest
Earnest adjective - Not joking or playful in mood or manner.
Cruel and earnest are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Cruel" instead an adjective "Earnest".
Nearby Words: earnestness, earnestly
Cite this Source
Earnest and Cruel. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 10, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/earnest
Cruel & Earnest. N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/earnest>.
Earnest or Cruel. 2016. Accessed August 10, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/earnest.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cruel" and "earnest" have occurred on timeline