as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
shocked by the mother's compassionless treatment of her autistic child
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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
Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compassionless
Adjective
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Amongst the sandy plains of the Burning Springs region and throngs of raiders and ruthless cap collectors is Prime Video’s Fallout character, The Ghoul (Walton Goggins).—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
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That’s thanks in one part to a gripping flash-forward narrative structure now so common it could be considered a cliché, and in another to Glenn Close’s indelible performance as ruthless litigator Patty Hewes.—
Matt Brennan,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Though both storms are similar — with a major storm system lingering over the region for over a day and whipping the region with merciless hurricane-level winds, driving inch after inch of wet snow — what made the 1978 storm so devastating was the apparent suddenness of its arrival.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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These are two of the most conniving, merciless people on television, and they’re bonded by the twin desire to be more like the other.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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High Street began to slope upward, and the terrain became stonier around the sides of the road as Revere and his horse, Brown Beauty, ascended Rock Hill.—
Kostya Kennedy,
Time,
16 Feb. 2026
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The area is populated with stony terraces and narrow streets where bistros serve good Italian food (this being so close to the Italian border) and markets to shop for artisanal items.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compassionless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassionless. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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