cruel
(redirected from cruelness)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Wikipedia.
Like this video? Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day!
be cruel to be kind
To be blunt and honest with someone in order to help them realize something that may help them. This phrase expresses the idea that it is sometimes necessary to hurt someone's feelings in order to tell them the truth. I'm not going to sit here and tell Judith that she's a shoo-in when she's clearly not ready for her audition. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
cruel the pitch
To ruin one's chances. Primarily heard in Australia. The interview went horribly, and I'm scared I cruelled the pitch with the company.
goodbye, cruel world
cliché An exclamation, note, or statement made immediately prior to one's death, especially by suicide. We felt as though we never had closure after Tom committed suicide. We never even knew he was contemplating taking his own life, and his note merely said "Goodbye, cruel world." The gunslinger lay on the ground, bleeding into the dust. "Goodbye, cruel world," he gasped with his last breath. And with that, he perished.
you have to be cruel to be kind
You must be blunt and honest with someone in order to help them realize something that may help them; it is sometimes necessary to hurt someone's feelings in order to tell them the truth. I'm not going to sit here and tell Judith that she's a shoo-in when she's clearly not ready for her audition. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
you have to be cruel to be kind
When people say you have to be cruel to be kind, they mean that sometimes if you are unkind to someone it will be the best thing for them. `I have to be cruel to be kind,' said Lindsay. `If I don't control his food, he will eat himself to death.'
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
be cruel to be kind
act towards someone in a way which seems harsh but will ultimately be of benefit.In Shakespeare 's Hamlet, ‘I must be cruel only to be kind’ was Hamlet's explanation of his reasons for bullying his mother about her second marriage.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
be ˌcruel to be ˈkind
use unpleasant methods because they are necessary to help somebody: I was worried about Katie getting too involved with Steve so I eventually told her about his drug addiction — you’ve got to be cruel to be kind sometimes. OPPOSITE: kill somebody with kindnessFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017