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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
Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
In the film, which tells the epic and tragic story of the ruthless rise of oilman Daniel Plainview, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, Dano plays the roles of brothers Paul and Eli Sunday—with the latter representing Plainview’s primary rival and antagonist.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
There’s greedy, ruthless, hypocritical Conkling, enriching himself by any means necessary.
—Judy Berman, Time, 28 Nov. 2025
Over two decades, Ryan Wedding went from a promising snowboarder competing in the Olympics to someone who officials have said is one of the most violent and ruthless criminals in the world, responsible for orchestrating murders and running a billion-dollar cocaine cartel.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruthless
Cite this Entry
“Ruthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruthless. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
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