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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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors tried to characterize him as a ruthless killer, whereas the defense focussed on his tragic past.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
His initial rise to fame came from playing cunning and ruthless centuries-old vampire Eric Northman on True Blood.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Jan. 2026
Wedding allegedly became a major trafficker of cocaine into Canada and the United States and a ruthless leader who ordered killings, including one of a witness in a 2024 federal narcotics case against him.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ruthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruthless. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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