abuse vs cruelty

abuse and cruelty both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
abuse	Yes	No	Yes	No
cruelty	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, cruelty is a hyponym of abuse; that is, cruelty is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than abuse:

Other hyponyms of abuse include child abuse, child neglect, persecution, inhuman treatment.

abuse (noun)	cruelty (noun)
improper or excessive use	a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
cruel or inhumane treatment	the quality of being cruel and causing tension or annoyance
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt	feelings of extreme heartlessness

abuse (verb)	cruelty (verb)
change the inherent purpose or function of something
use wrongly or improperly or excessively
use foul or abusive language towards
treat badly