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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
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
With war looming and chaos consuming the kingdom — drawing in the ruthless kings of other Scandinavian countries and even a powerful English ruler — the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic and utterly magical new Norse saga.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
The company is famous for its creative but ruthless approach to cost cutting.
—Patrick George, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
The passage takes its name from Emperor Commodus, the ruthless leader who governed from 177 to 192 CE and was nearly assassinated in the underground walkway.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 2025.
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