Crudelis

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by harshness, severity, or mercilessness in behavior or actions; marked by a lack of compassion or kindness; demonstrating extreme or brutal treatment toward others
2. Exhibiting tendencies of being harsh, unfeeling, or ruthless; showing an absence of gentleness or pity; acting with severe or callous disregard for others' suffering
3. Displaying a nature that is unkind, severe, or pitiless; involving cruelty or harsh treatment; lacking empathy or humane consideration in conduct or demeanor

Etymology: Latin "crudelis" meant "cruel" in the ordinary sense of harsh, bloody, or merciless, and it comes from "crudus," meaning "raw" or "uncooked." The image is of flesh that has not been cooked, which is why the same root gave Latin speakers words for blood and rawness. The adjective is an old Latin formation, so its earliest surviving uses come from classical authors rather than from any single coinage. English did not take "crudelis" directly. It came in through Old French "cruel," which carried the Latin sense of pitiless violence into the language, and English adopted it in the Middle English period. The original concrete picture of raw meat faded as the word settled into its moral meaning of showing no pity. The word also left a noticeable trace in English through its close relative "crude." That word came from the same Latin "crudus" but entered through a separate path, and it kept the sense of raw or unrefined material, so "cruel" and "crude" are cousins that went different ways.

Synonyms: cruel, brutal, merciless, inhuman, ruthless

Antonyms: kind, merciful, compassionate, gentle, humane