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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
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Zimmer also received an Emmy nod for her portrayal of ruthless executive Quinn King on Unreal (2015–2018).
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
The film, which stars Joel Edgerton in a supporting turn, follows a socially awkward tween who is forced to endure a ruthless hierarchy at a water polo camp, causing his anxiety to spiral into psychological turmoil over one summer.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
Russia, with an economy smaller than Italy’s, has weaponized its entire industrial base with ruthless efficiency.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 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 24 Oct. 2025.
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