compassionless

adjective

Definition of compassionlessnext
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings shocked by the mother's compassionless treatment of her autistic child

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of compassionless Oscar and Birdie’s oily son Leo (a perceptive Christian Cooper) seems headed in the direction of his father, with his compassionless attitude toward life. — Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compassionless
  1. ruthless
  2. merciless
  3. stony
Adjective
  • Today, it is widely known that coal miners of the 19th and early 20th centuries experienced ruthless exploitation and hazardous working conditions.
    — Marcus Librizzi, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Involuntary bumping is more ruthless, denying boarding to passengers in a joyless game of musical plane seats.
    — Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruthless
Adjective
  • It would be seen as a work of merciless autofiction in the vein of Karl Ove Knausgaard, and it would be discussed, as his books are, as aggressive, antisocial, and spiteful.
    — B. D. McClay, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • In the story, Ria teams up with her foster mother and their fellow punks to resist a merciless developer intent on tearing down their building.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of merciless
Adjective
  • Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.
    — Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
  • Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.
    — Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Definition of stony

Browse Nearby Words

compassionating
compassionless
compatibilities
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Cite this Entry

“Compassionless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassionless. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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