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having a desire to cause physical or mental pain and make somebody suffer 残酷的；冷酷的；残忍的；残暴的 He was known to be a cruel dictator. 他是一个出了名的残暴独裁者。 - cruel to somebody/something
I can't stand people who are cruel to animals. 我无法容忍虐待动物的人。 Her eyes were cruel and hard. 她目光冷酷逼人。 Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind (= make somebody suffer because it will be good for them later). 有时候为了某人好你就得对他狠。 an extremely cruel regime 一个极端残暴的政权
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- sound
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- to
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causing physical or mental pain and making somebody suffer 引起痛苦的 a cruel joke/hoax 残酷的笑话/恶作剧 cruel punishment 残酷的惩罚 It was a cruel irony that he, being gravely ill, would survive his family. 一个残酷的讽刺是，他身患重病，却能在家庭中生存下来。 It would be a cruel twist of fate if he escaped only to starve to death once outside. 如果他逃到外面一次就饿死了，那将是命运的残酷转折。 Her father's death was a cruel blow. 父亲去世对她是一大打击。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- sound
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- to
Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin crudelis, related to crudus ‘raw, rough’.
Idioms
cruel and unusual punishment
a category of very severe punishment that is banned under US law 残忍： 美国法律禁止的一种非常严厉的惩罚This important case confronts the issue of what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. 这一重要案件面临着什么是残忍和不寻常的惩罚的问题。 Detainees are subjected to malnutrition, forced labor, and to other cruel and unusual punishments. 被拘留者遭受营养不良、强迫劳动和其他残忍和不寻常的惩罚。