Cruel
Cruel adjective - Having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others.
Usage example: cruel and unusual punishments are forbidden by the U.S. Constitution
Sadistic is a synonym for cruel in brutal topic. In some cases you can use "Sadistic" instead the word "Cruel" as an adjective or an adverb, when it comes to topics like vicious, callous. popular alternative
Sadistic
Sadistic adjective - Having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others.
Usage example: the troubled youth is being treated by a psychotherapist for his sadistic urges to hurt animals
Cruel is a synonym for sadistic in callous topic. You can use "Cruel" instead the word "Sadistic" as an adjective or an adverb. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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Which doesn't mean he doesn't intend to turn it into a Mordor, in reflection of his cruel and sadistic personality.
Source: Dystopia Justifies the Means -
Kefka in Final Fantasy VI is hateful, cruel and sadistic in the English localisation, when in the original Japanese he was a Psychopathic Manchild with Ambiguous Innocence.
Source: Adaptation Personality Change -
Mean Character, Nice Actor: Miyavi, a generally all-around nice guy and loving father, as cruel and sadistic Watanabe.
Source: Film / Unbroken
Cite this Source
Sadistic and Cruel. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/sadistic
Cruel & Sadistic. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/sadistic>.
Sadistic or Cruel. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/sadistic.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cruel" and "sadistic" have occurred on timeline