crueler
crueler — 形容詞
- cruelerpositive
- cruelerercomparative
- cruelerestsuperlative
1. treating people or animals in a way that shows less kindness and a stronger inte
更殘酷的
對他人或動物更不友善、故意傷害
treating people or animals in a way that shows less kindness and a stronger intention to cause hurt or pain than someone or something else does
The new manager was even crueler toward the interns than the previous one had been.
新來的經理對實習生的態度比前任更殘酷。
crueler toward [someone] + comparative than
Noa noticed the stray dogs grew crueler as winter came and food grew scarce.
Noa 覺得隨著冬天來臨、食物越來越少，城裡的流浪狗也變得更加兇狠。
Years of isolation made Mizuki crueler to everyone, pushing away even her closest friends.
經過多年的孤立，Mizuki 對身邊的人變得越來越殘酷，連最親密的朋友都被她推開。
Neighbors said the dog's owner had grown crueler, leaving the animal outside without food.
鄰居們通報說，那隻狗的主人變得更殘忍了，把狗留在外面不給食物和水。
Vikram could not recall a teacher crueler than Ms. Hargrave, who mocked wrong answers.
Vikram 想不起來有哪位老師比 Hargrave 女士更殘酷——她會嘲笑答錯的學生。
- more vicious
implies stronger intent to harm, often with violence
- meaner
less formal, used in everyday speech about small acts of unkindness
- harsher
broader; can describe either people or conditions
文法句型
crueler to + [someone]
crueler than + [someone/something]
用法筆記
Often appears with verbs showing change over time (grow, become, get). Subject is typically a person, group, or animal whose behaviour becomes more unkind.
常見錯誤
2. causing greater emotional or physical distress, hardship, or grief than somethin
更痛苦的
指事件或處境帶來更大苦難
causing greater emotional or physical distress, hardship, or grief than something else does — used about events, conditions, or experiences rather than people
The drought that year proved crueler than any the villagers had faced in living memory.
那年發生的大旱比村民們記憶中任何一次乾旱都更痛苦。
proved crueler than [something] — event/condition as subject
For Linh and her family, losing their home was crueler than the earthquake itself.
對 Linh 一家人來說，失去家園比地震本身更痛苦。
Elena found the loneliness of living abroad crueler than any challenge she had prepared for.
Elena 發現，出國生活的孤獨感比她預想中的任何挑戰都更難忍受。
The court's decision felt crueler than the crime itself, leaving the grieving family with nothing.
法院的判決感覺比罪行本身更令人痛苦，讓悲痛的家屬一無所獲。
Camille found her brother's silence crueler than any angry words he could have said.
Camille 說，弟弟離開後的沉默比他能說出的任何氣話都更令她難受。
- more painful
directly emphasises the suffering caused
- harder
less formal, very common in everyday speech
- more severe
stresses the seriousness or extremity of the hardship
文法句型
crueler than + [something]
crueler [noun]
用法筆記
Subject is usually an impersonal thing — a situation, event, or outcome. Cannot refer to a person's deliberate actions (use Sense 1 for that).
常見錯誤
3. more strict, severe, and uncompromising, with no mercy or leniency — used about
更嚴厲的
指法律、刑罰或制度毫不寬容
more strict, severe, and uncompromising, with no mercy or leniency — used about laws, punishments, judgments, or systems
The sentence handed down was far crueler than the law required for a first offense.
那項判決的刑期遠比法律對初犯者通常要求的標準更嚴厲。
far crueler than + [legal context] — formal register
Noor argued the ban on student groups was crueler than rules at other campuses.
Noor 主張，禁止學生社團的規定比其他校園的規則更嚴苛。
Critics described the regime's emergency decree as crueler than the laws it had replaced.
批評者形容該政權的緊急命令比它所取代的法律更嚴酷。
The general issued orders crueler than any his soldiers had followed in earlier campaigns.
將軍下達的命令比士兵們在先前戰役中執行過的任何命令都更嚴峻。
- more severe
broader; covers any kind of strictness or intensity
- harsher
common in everyday and formal use for punishments
- more relentless
emphasises that the harshness never stops
- more lenient
less strict, more forgiving
- more merciful
showing compassion and forgiveness
文法句型
crueler than + [something]
crueler [punishment/law/sentence]
用法筆記
Typically found in formal or legal contexts. Subject is an institution, rule, or system — not a person acting on impulse. Distinguish from Sense 2: Sense 3 focuses on deliberate lack of leniency in a system, while Sense 2 focuses on the suffering a situation causes.