cruel
/ˈkɾwel/
The Spanish word for 'cruel' is cruel.
The adjective cruel is used to describe something or someone that intentionally causes pain and suffering.
Meaning: that intentionally causes pain and suffering (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective cruel is invariant in gender, so it remains the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. When describing multiple subjects, the plural form is crueles.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkɾwel/
Did you know?
- In Spanish literature, particularly in the Golden Age, cruel was frequently used as a standard epithet for 'the beloved' who rejects the poet's love.
- While cruel is common, Spanish has a specific word, desalmado, which literally means 'without a soul' and is used for a level of cruelty that is inhuman.
- The word cruel comes from the Latin crūdēlis, which originally referred to something raw or bloody.
Examples in context
- Es un mundo cruel.It's a cruel world.This sentence shows how to describe the world as cruel.Tatoeba #1624792 by marcelostockle, translation #1624842 by marcelostockle
- El mundo es cruel.The world is cruel.This sentence shows how to state that the world is cruel.Tatoeba #1651116 by Shishir, translation #1651096 by Spamster
- No quiero ser cruel.I don't want to be cruel.This sentence shows how to express a desire not to be cruel.Tatoeba #4952617 by DarkHollow, translation #4952262 by Hybrid
- ¡Eres malvado!You are cruel!
- ¡Qué desalmado eres!How cruel you are!
- No seas desalmado, ayuda a ese pobre perro abandonado.Don't be cruel, help that poor abandoned dog.
- La empresa despidió a los empleados sin ninguna consideración, fue despiadada.The company fired the employees without any consideration, it was cruel.
- ¡Eres malvado! ¿Cómo pudiste hacer eso?You are cruel! How could you do that?
- 61 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are discussing a character in a movie.
- Javier¿Viste cómo trataron al protagonista?Did you see how they treated the protagonist?
- MaríaSí, el villano es un hombre muy cruel.Yes, the villain is a very cruel man.
- JavierMe dio mucha lástima su situación.I felt very sorry for his situation.
- MaríaFue una escena realmente triste.It was a truly sad scene.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cruel” translations and entries cruel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cruel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
