ruth

noun

ˈrüth How to pronounce ruth (audio)
Definition of ruthnext
as in kindness
the capacity for feeling for another's unhappiness or misfortune listening to your flippant comments about the homeless, I wonder if you have any ruth

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 ruth Her sensitive and sublime renderings of such states in her fiction and poetry exemplify this ruth. — Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruth
  1. kindness
  2. sympathy
  3. compassion
  4. heart
  5. pity
  6. mercy
Noun
  • For Caron, the interaction was especially meaningful because her son is not always met with the same kindness.
    — Logan Hall, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Tonight’s lesson is on truthfulness and embodying loving kindness.
    — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of kindness
Noun
  • Fifty years of doctors who shrugged with genuine sympathy and said, rare.
    — Miranda Pappas, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Carriage drivers have expressed sympathy for Mahajan and his family but argue that they are being unfairly targeted because of a single accident.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of sympathy
Noun
  • But the decisions that define organizations—those involving ethics, trust, compassion, purpose and culture—remain deeply human responsibilities.
    — Elisa Mallis, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Many healthcare workers preserve human dignity through compassion, patience, and care.
    — Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of compassion
Noun
  • Your deep veins run within the muscles of your arms and legs, carrying most of the blood returning from your limbs to your heart.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Aware of the Simonson case in Minnesota, Wisconsin investigators identified one of the victims as Simonson, in part through a distinctive tattoo on her ankle featuring a heart and her daughter Alyssa's name.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of heart
Noun
  • The pity of the judge who imprisoned them here was cold comfort for a group of people who had little reason to trust any legal authority.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Still, the track eventually collides into a seasick wall of distortion that recalls lovesliescrushing’s weightless takes on shoegaze as Pitchkites sings of unmet expectations and self pity.
    — Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of pity
Noun
  • But there’s gotta be a better way to do this than leave people to the mercies of the market when the market has no mercy.
    — John E. McDonough, STAT, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Showing mercy to murderers historically has not been popular with voters.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of mercy

Browse Nearby Words

rut
ruth
ruthful
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ruth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruth. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All