pitiless

adjective

piti·​less ˈpi-ti-ləs 

: devoid of pity : harsh, cruel

pitilessly adverb

pitilessness noun

Synonyms

• affectless
• callous
• case-hardened
• cold-blooded
• compassionless
• desensitized
• hard
• hard-boiled
• hard-hearted
• heartless
• indurate
• inhuman
• inhumane
• insensate
• insensitive
• ironhearted
• merciless
• obdurate
• pachydermatous
• remorseless
• ruthless
• slash-and-burn
• soulless
• stony
• stoney
• stonyhearted
• take-no-prisoners
• thick-skinned
• uncharitable
• unfeeling
• unmerciful
• unsparing
• unsympathetic

Examples of pitiless in a Sentence

The soldiers were pitiless toward their enemy.

gave the beggar in the street a pitiless look and kept on walking

Recent Examples on the Web

Is it not fated to a pitiless future of every man for himself? —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 July 2024

Palomas are sweet and tart and bright and preternaturally refreshing, a worthy match for the pitiless heat of the Mexican summer, and deployed in great numbers whenever a little reprieve is in order. —Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 11 July 2024

At heart, In a Violent Nature isn’t an art film playing on horror tropes but something like the inverse: a pitiless old-school slasher that simply takes a roundabout and rather scenic path to the usual scuzzy thrills. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 31 May 2024

Get Citation Request Reprint Permissions Play Download Article In the first lecture of any introduction to international relations class, students are typically warned of the pitiless consequences of anarchy. —Jonathan Kirshner, Foreign Affairs, 29 Jan. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pitiless

adjective

piti·​less ˈpit-i-ləs 

ˈpit-ᵊl-əs

: having no pity : harsh, cruel

pitilessly adverb