cruel joke
Mean-spirited gag
A cruel joke is a prank or deception that causes genuine harm or distress to its target, crossing the line from playful teasing into meanness.
The phrase also describes situations where fate or circumstance seems to mock someone: It felt like a cruel joke that she got the acceptance letter the day after the deadline.
Life's cruel jokes are coincidences so painful they seem deliberately timed.
- prankPlayful trick on someone
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
- tauntInsulting provocation
- heartlessLacking pity or mercy
- slap in the faceHumiliating rebuke or rejection
mean · vicious · twisted · sick · humiliation · betrayal · laughingstock · adding insult · bitter · sting · malicious · trick · hoax · schadenfreude · sneer · wound · barb · low blow
cruel jokecompliment
Words expressing approval
affirmation · toast · tribute · blessing · warm welcome
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