Crossword Genius

Deliberate cruelty (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sadism

'deliberate cruelty' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

This is all the clue.

(Other definitions for sadism that I've seen before include "Delight taken in cruelty" , "Taking pleasure in inflicting pain" , "Cruel behaviour" , "The love of cruelty" , "Deviancy" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times (Simplex) and The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.