19
arduous(adjective, hard, difficult, complex, painful)
19
burdensome(adjective, hard, difficult, complex, painful)
19
excruciating(adjective, characteristic, nasty, pain, painful)
19
hard-nosed(adjective, strong, hard, tough, severe)
19
hardhearted(adjective, characteristic, person, mean, hard)
19
heavy-handed(adjective, hard, difficult, complex)
19
relentless(adjective, characteristic, appearance, mean, strong)
19
serious(adjective, strong, hard, tough, severe)
19
tight(adjective, hard, difficult, complex)
18
difficult(adjective, hard, nasty, harsh, complex)
18
disturbing(adjective, mean, hard, severe, difficult)
18
fell(verb, adjective, strong, kind, severe)
18
taxing(adjective, hard, difficult, complex)
17
heinous(adjective, evil, unpleasant, awful, violent)
17
sadistic(adjective, adverb, characteristic, mean, nasty)
16
remorseless(adjective, mean, severe, harsh, violent)
16
appalling(adjective, sad, unhappy, unpleasant, awful)
16
bitter(adjective, characteristic, mean, strong, hard)
16
horrible(adjective, mean, strong, severe, evil)
16
inconsiderate(adjective, person, mean, hard, tough)
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APASmart Define. (2016). cruel thesaurus. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/cruel/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2016. "cruel thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/cruel/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 26, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2016, cruel thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 26 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/cruel/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "cruel thesaurus" 24 March 2016. Web. 26 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/cruel/thesaurus/synonyms>