1
cruel to sb
She was cruel to her younger brother.
她对弟弟很残忍。
残忍的；残酷的
cruelest — superlative of cruel
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
残忍的；残酷的
willing to cause pain or suffering to others; extremely unkind
She was cruel to her younger brother.
她对弟弟很残忍。
故意造成或沉溺于痛苦和折磨；无情,冷酷
Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.
(指人或其行为)能够或倾向于施加痛苦或折磨
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
严厉；苛刻
Harsh; severe.
It was cruel of him to leave the dog outside in the storm.
他让狗在暴风雨中待在外面，真是残忍。
AI contextual example
The cruel ruler made people work long hours without food.
那个残忍的统治者让人们长时间劳作而不给食物。
AI contextual example
Her cruel words made the little boy cry.
她那残忍的话让小男孩哭了。
AI contextual example
cruel tortures
残酷的折磨
WordNet
She was cruel to her younger brother.
她对弟弟很残忍。
It is cruel to leave a pet alone for days.
把宠物独自留在家里很多天是很残忍的。
形容词作定语
That was a cruel remark.
那是句残酷的话。
Not this
He cruelled his dog.
Use this
He was cruel to his dog.
“cruel”是形容词，不能用作动词。表示“对某人残忍”需用“be cruel to”，加上系动词“be”和介词“to”。
Not this
She is cruel with her students.
Use this
She is cruel to her students.
表示“对某人残忍”时，介词用“to”而不是“with”。“cruel to”是固定搭配。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
残忍的人
He is a cruel person who enjoys hurting others.
他是一个残忍的人，喜欢伤害别人。
残酷的对待
The prisoners suffered cruel treatment.
囚犯们遭受了残酷的对待。
残酷的惩罚
In ancient times, cruel punishments were common.
在古代，残酷的惩罚很常见。
残酷的命运
She met a cruel fate at a young age.
她年轻时遭遇了残酷的命运。
恶毒的玩笑
Playing a cruel joke on someone is not funny.
对某人开恶毒的玩笑并不有趣。
残酷的世界
We live in a cruel world full of suffering.
我们生活在一个充满苦难的残酷世界。
为了长远利益而暂时显得残忍
Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind when teaching a child responsibility.
有时在教育孩子负责任时，你得为了长远利益而暂时显得残忍。
命运的残酷转折
It was a cruel twist of fate that the firefighter lost his own home in the blaze.
那个消防员自己的房子在火灾中烧毁，真是命运的残酷转折。
残酷且不寻常的惩罚（法律术语，也用作比喻）
Having to work on a Sunday after a full week felt like cruel and unusual punishment.
在整周工作后还得在周日加班，感觉像是残酷且不寻常的惩罚。
这是一个残酷的夏天
The phrase 'cruel summer' has become iconic since Taylor Swift's song, often used to describe a painful or difficult summer.
自从泰勒·斯威夫特的歌曲后，“残酷的夏天”这个短语已成为经典，常用来描述痛苦或艰难的夏天。
你必须残忍才能仁慈
The proverb 'cruel to be kind' means that sometimes harsh actions are necessary for someone's long-term benefit.
谚语“残忍才能仁慈”意味着有时严厉的行为对某人的长期利益是必要的。
Use cruelest naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
cruel谐音'哭弱'，联想到让弱者哭泣的残忍行为。
该词为中性词汇，适用于正式和非正式场合，常用于描述个人或集体行为带来的痛苦。
常用于描述对人的行为或事物
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.