as in cruelty
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unkindliness
Noun
-
Initially, the couple was arrested on charges of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree unlawful restraint, intentional cruelty to persons, risk of injury to a minor and conspiracy to commit risk of injury to a minor.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026 -
There was a particular cruelty in having lived with her hearing for 28 years before losing it.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Consider artificial intelligence phone systems that only add to the frustration and inhumanity of our lives.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
But the inhumanity this historic trail commemorates stands in stark contrast with the enduring human spirit.—
Keith Sharon,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Adapted for television by Adolescence co-creator, Emmy winner Jack Thorne, in Lord of the Flies, innocence descends into savagery when a group of English schoolboys becomes desert island castaways.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2026
-
After the war, in sober reflection, the United States helped lead a global effort to try to tame the savagery of conflict and, in particular, to shield civilians.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These young graduates start out naive about the heartlessness of the corporate world and harbor illusory hopes for success in unforgiving professions.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The lives of the two children in the story, aged fourteen and four, are portrayed as being as fleeting as the fireflies, and the story is an unsentimental and unflinching account with moments of both tenderness and heartlessness.—
Ginny Tapley Takemori
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Emperor’s battle arena, for example, is a marvel of moody set design, its barbarity brought to life by the throngs of people crowding to watch the action from atop its grated roof.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Even when there is little to celebrate in a world marked by barbarity, these events invite us to be together and, briefly, to look, feel, admire, and even disagree within a temporary gathering of images and spaces.—
Raphael Fonseca,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Generations of agents, therefore, have had to walk a line between bookishness and brutishness.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
But the brutishness has merely relocated, to places far more dangerous.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Our society seems to be spiraling into a vortex of callousness, ignorance, cynicism, violence, intolerance, and hate.—
Rabbi Dan Levin,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
-
There’s another nice juxtaposition in this episode, this time highlighting Robby’s callousness.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Government should tame the savageness of man and make life in this world more gentle, not crueler.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Unkindliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unkindliness. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
