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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."
Examples of ruthless in a Sentence
Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 30 May 2025
As with everything Banksy, siting and context are chief among the avenues of investigation into the man’s intent and into his his hilariously ruthless nocturnal execution of his art.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Advertisement Advertisement The first season largely follows Department Q on its first case, searching for Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie), a ruthless and highly successful prosecutor who has been missing for four years, last seen on a ferry headed to the remote Mhor in the Scottish Highlands.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 29 May 2025
And yet, this authentic and downbeat immigrant drama questions what luck means in a ruthless, dog-eat-dog city where only the strongest survive.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 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 3 Jun. 2025.
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