cruel vs roughshod

cruel and roughshod both are adjectives.

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

As adjectives, cruel and roughshod are synonyms defined as:

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

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

cruel (adjective)	roughshod (adjective)
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering	unjustly domineering
	(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
	(of a horse) having horseshoes with projecting nails to prevent slipping