Definition of "cruelty" []

• The quality or condition of being cruel. (noun)
• Something, such as a cruel act or remark, that causes pain or suffering. (noun)
• Law The infliction of physical or mental distress, especially when considered a determinant in granting a divorce. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It's the lives ruined through blunders -- it's the cruelty -- the needless _cruelty_ of it all. ""
• "This cruelty is a dead give-away of who these people really are."
• "Before posting I asked several readers if I was going overboard with the word "cruelty.""