Cruel
Cruel adjective - Having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others.
Villainous and cruel are semantically related In some cases you can use "Villainous" instead an adjective "Cruel".
Villainous
Villainous adjective - Not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable.
Usage example: villainous behavior that made him one of the most notorious figures in history and gave rise to the legend of Dracula
Cruel and villainous are semantically related in criminal topic. Sometimes you can use "Cruel" instead an adjective "Villainous".
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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To be fair, this isn't really because she's cruel or villainous, she's just an idiot who thinks she's an incredible commander.
Source: Visual Novel / KoihimeMusou - In the Dynasty Warriors series, Cao Cao was always portrayed as somewhat villainous and cruel.
Source: Alas Poor Villain / Video Games -
For someone as cruel and villainous as he is, the worst he gets with Mina is being completely oblivious to the fact that she'd rather die than date him, and he never threatens her in any way.
Source: Film / Manborg
Cite this Source
Villainous and Cruel. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 08, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/villainous
Cruel & Villainous. N.p., 2016. Web. 08 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/villainous>.
Villainous or Cruel. 2016. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cruel/villainous.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cruel" and "villainous" have occurred on timeline