cruelty

noun

/ˈkruːəlti/

(plural cruelties)

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[uncountable] cruelty (to somebody/something) behaviour that causes physical or mental pain to others and makes them suffer, especially deliberately（尤指蓄意的）残酷，残忍，残暴
- cruelty to animals对动物的虐待
- The deliberate cruelty of his words cut her like a knife.他故意说的那些残酷无情的话对她像刀割一样。
opposite kindness
Extra Examples
- Her stepmother showed her nothing but cruelty.她的继母对她只有虐待。
- How can you inflict such cruelty on a child?你怎能如此虐待一个孩子？
- She was shocked to see such cruelty.看到这样的残忍行为她很震惊。
- The children suffered mental cruelty and neglect.孩子们受到精神虐待，缺乏关爱。
- an act of extreme cruelty一种极端残酷的行为
- the depths of human cruelty人类的极端残忍
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- extreme
- great
- deliberate
- …
verb + cruelty
- inflict
- show (somebody)
- suffer
- …
preposition
- cruelty to
- cruelty towards/toward
See full entry
[countable, usually plural] a cruel action残暴的行为
- Frightening cruelties were inflicted on child factory workers well into the 19th century.一直到19世纪，儿童工厂工人遭受了可怕的残酷对待。
[countable, uncountable] something that happens that seems unfair不公；不平
- the cruelties of life生活中的种种不公

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French crualte, based on Latin crudelitas, from crudelis, related to crudus ‘raw, rough’.