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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
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Inspired by the book and 2003 Belgian film De zaak Alzheimer, the Fox psychological thriller series trades on Dempsey’s decades of goodwill as a beloved romantic lead to turn a ruthless killer into an antihero worth rooting for.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
This case is an egregious example of the ruthless persistence exhibited by scammers to enrich themselves at the expense of vulnerable people.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
Many of these films earn their ruthless plot points by rendering them plausible.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruthless
Cite this Entry
“Ruthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruthless. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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