Cruel
Cruel adjective - Hard to accept or bear especially emotionally.
Usage example: the cruel situation of being orphaned at an early age
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- Put simply: character behavior which looks or sounds sweet but is just as hurtful and cruel as a direct attack — perhaps more.
Source: Sugary Malice -
Sometimes the outside world can be a cold, cruel place, full of mean, hurtful people and scads of author-induced pain.
Source: Happy Place
Cite this Source
Hurtful and Cruel. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/hurtful
Cruel & Hurtful. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/hurtful>.
Hurtful or Cruel. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/hurtful.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cruel" and "hurtful" have occurred on timeline