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

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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
  • Patience and kindness can go a long way, Henderson says, and Seshadri reminds everyone to extend that respect to the airport staff and your fellow passengers.
    — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Be patient when a grocery store cashier with disabilities rings up your items — kindness can go a long way.
    — John Gill, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of kindness
Noun
  • Elsewhere, there’s no sympathy for the complexity of the challenge facing the American and Israeli strategists who instigated the conflict.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026
  • When Lee mentions Nathan Spence was meant to attend the program, Jed barely flinches, expressing sympathy for the boy’s confused and grieving mother.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of sympathy
Noun
  • What feels like a weight of helplessness and sorrow on our shoulders may, with enough space, also reflect our remarkable capacities for strength, steadfastness, and compassion.
    — Robert M. Kinast, STAT, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Her solution was to offer kindness and compassion — not to name an enemy and a fix.
    — Kaivan Shroff, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of compassion
Noun
  • The sharpest character study lies in the potential recipient of Simon’s heart, a woman who has all but given up on having a future but then finds herself at the top of a transplant list, suddenly lucky enough to get a new life.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Ashley Padilla Padilla, who captured hearts as a star cast member of SNL this past year, made the room laugh with a toast full of jokes and references to her most notable sketches.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 30 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
  • Davis' family pleaded with the judge for mercy on his behalf, acknowledging the severity of his actions while asking for leniency.
    — Manuel Bojorquez, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of mercy

Browse Nearby Words

rut
ruth
ruthful
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Cite this Entry

“Ruth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruth. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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