Meaning & use
crueller
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“crueller” is a form of “cruel”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
More willing to cause pain or suffering, or showing less kindness, than someone or something else.
Grammar: Used with than for comparison: crueller than before.
Patterns
- crueller than something
- even crueller
The winter was crueller than anyone had predicted.
He proved crueller than his brother ever was.
It would be crueller to leave her without an answer.
adjectivecomparableliterary
More painful or harsh in effect, even without bad intent.
Grammar: Often describes fate or conditions: a crueller fate.
Patterns
- a crueller fate
- crueller still
Fate dealt her a crueller blow when the business failed.
The crueller truth was that nobody had noticed.
Word forms
| base form | cruel |
|---|---|
| comparative | crueller |
| superlative | cruellest |
Common combinations
- even crueller
- The rumor was even crueller than the insult.
- crueller than
- Nothing is crueller than silence.
- a crueller fate
- A crueller fate awaited the exiles.
- crueller twist
- A crueller twist came when the offer was withdrawn.
Synonyms and how they differ
- harsher
- Harsher can mean strict without wanting to hurt, while crueller implies more suffering.
- more brutal
- More brutal stresses physical violence, while crueller can be emotional.
- meaner
- Meaner is informal and often about petty unkindness, while crueller suggests serious pain.
- more heartless
- More heartless focuses on lack of pity rather than the harm done.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: crueller or cruller?
crueller vs cruller
A cruller is a twisted doughnut, while crueller is the comparative of cruel.
Practice
Telling him nothing would have been ____ than telling him the truth.
Choose one answer.
Crueller is the comparative needed with than. Cruelest and most cruel are superlatives, and cruelty is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crueller”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.