Cruel sort makes some progress (4)
I believe the answer is:
ogre
'cruel sort' is the definition.
(an ogre is a cruel sort of thing)
'some progress' is the wordplay.
'some' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (some of the parts of the word are used).
'OGRE' can be found hidden inside 'progress'.
'makes' is the link.
(Other definitions for ogre that I've seen before include "Terrifying person" , "Grim(m) beast?" , "terrible person" , "Cruel, fearsome person" , "Has a monstrous role" .)