Fetching details from the dictionary...

cruel; merciless; pitiless; brutal; atrocious; inhuman
tragic; horrible; terrible; dreadful; miserable; ugly; horrifying
「酷い」 has another reading with different meanings.
戦争の酷い現実を忘れてはいけない。
We must not forget the cruel reality of war.
戦時中の捕虜への扱いは酷かった。
The treatment of prisoners during wartime was cruel.
今度の判決は前回ほど酷くない。
This time's verdict is not as harsh as the last one.