1. the quality or state of being cruel; willingness to cause pain or suffering to others

Examples

• The cruelness of his words deeply hurt her feelings.
• History remembers the cruelness of that regime.
• She was shocked by the cruelness displayed toward the animals.
• His cruelness to his younger siblings earned him a stern lecture from his parents.
• The cruelness of the punishment seemed excessive for such a minor offense.
• Acts of cruelness in the workplace create a toxic environment.
• The novel explores the cruelness inherent in human nature.