More disposed to causing pain or suffering to others without mercy or pity.
From Middle English 'cruel' derived from Old French 'cruel', from Latin 'crudelis' meaning harsh or unfeeling. The comparative form adds the suffix '-er' to indicate greater degree.
The word 'cruel' comes from the same Latin root as 'crude' and 'raw'—showing how ancients linked emotional harshness to physical rawness, as if a cruel person had an undeveloped or 'raw' heart.
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