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If someone can be ruthless, can one also be ruthful?
Ruthless can be defined as "without ruth" or "having no ruth." So what, then, is ruth? The noun ruth, which is now considerably less common than ruthless, means "compassion for the misery of another," "sorrow for one's own faults," or "remorse." And, just as it is possible for one to be without ruth, it is also possible to be full of ruth. The antonym of ruthless is ruthful, meaning "full of ruth" or "tender." Ruthful can also mean "full of sorrow" or "causing sorrow." Ruth can be traced back to the Middle English noun ruthe, itself from ruen, meaning "to rue" or "to feel regret, remorse, or sorrow."
Synonyms of ruthless
Examples of ruthless in a Sentence
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Chief among them is Poorna Jagannathan, who serves effectively as the third central focus of the show as Mir and Raj’s loving but ruthless Auntie Lucky, the right-hand woman who takes over the business after their father’s death.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 30 May 2026
His eyes gave him away as a ruthless competitor.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 28 May 2026
But then there's Dixie Bennings (LeAnn Rimes), a ruthless country singer and the thorn in Don's side.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ruthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruthless. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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