cruel vs brutal

cruel and brutal both are adjectives.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cruel	No	Yes	No	No
brutal	No	Yes	No	No

As adjectives, cruel and brutal are synonyms defined as:

cruel and brutal: (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

Other synonyms of cruel include barbarous, fell, roughshod, savage, vicious.

cruel (adjective)	brutal (adjective)
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering	disagreeably direct and precise
	resembling a beast; showing lack of human sensibility
	punishingly harsh
	(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering