1
cruelty to/towards sb/sth
cruelty to 后接受害者，强调施暴对象。
The organization campaigns against cruelty to animals.
该组织呼吁反对虐待动物。
残忍；残酷；残暴
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
残忍；残酷；残暴
the quality of being cruel; a lack of compassion for others' suffering, or pleasure in causing it
The organization campaigns against cruelty to animals.
该组织呼吁反对虐待动物。
对苦难漠不关心或以施苦为乐
An indifference to suffering or pleasure in inflicting suffering.
残忍行为；故意施加痛苦和折磨
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
残忍行为
A cruel act.
极度冷酷无情的感情
feelings of extreme heartlessness
The cruelty shown to the stray dogs outraged the community.
对流浪狗表现出的残忍行为激怒了社区。
She could not tolerate the cruelty of her boss's comments.
她无法忍受老板评论中的残忍。
Laws against animal cruelty have become stricter in recent years.
针对虐待动物的法律近年来变得更加严格。
cruelty to 后接受害者，强调施暴对象。
The organization campaigns against cruelty to animals.
该组织呼吁反对虐待动物。
act of cruelty 表示具体的残忍事件，常用于复数形式。
He was imprisoned for acts of cruelty.
他因残忍行为被监禁。
the cruelty of 后接造成苦难的事物或人，强调性质。
The cruelty of the regime shocked the world.
该政权的残酷震惊了世界。
Not this
He is cruelty.
Use this
He is cruel.
“cruelty”是名词，不能用作形容词。应改用形容词形式“cruel”。
Not this
He showed cruelty for animals.
Use this
He showed cruelty to animals.
表示“对……残忍”时，介词应用“to”而非“for”。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
虐待动物
The organization fights against animal cruelty.
该组织反对虐待动物。
虐待儿童
Strict laws prohibit cruelty to children.
严格的法律禁止虐待儿童。
蓄意残忍
Deliberate cruelty is punished more severely.
蓄意残忍会受到更严厉的惩罚。
极端残忍
The prisoners endured extreme cruelty.
囚犯们忍受了极端残忍的对待。
残忍行为
Acts of cruelty are condemned by society.
残忍行为受到社会谴责。
残忍与暴力
The film depicts cruelty and violence.
这部电影描绘了残忍与暴力。
Use cruelty naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
记住 cruel（残酷的）加 ty 构成 cruelty，残酷的行为让人 cry（哭）。
该词常用于正式或一般场合，描述残酷的行为或态度，但在日常对话中也较常见。
These words share the spelling suffix '-ty' but do not rhyme with 'cruelty' due to different stress patterns and vowels. 'Cruelty' is stressed on the first syllable with /uː/, while most -ty words have stress elsewhere and different vowels.
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.