ruthful

adjective

Definition of ruthfulnext
1
as in troublesome

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in pitying

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruthful
  1. troublesome
  2. lenient
  3. poignant
  4. merciful
  5. moving
  6. tolerant
  7. doleful
  8. congenial
Adjective
  • Miami’s subpar pass protection, inexperience at receiver and troublesome play calling have been contributing factors.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
  • When lighting a miniature proved troublesome, the crew employed motion-control rigs to capture multiple exposures, enabling the lighting to be adjusted later in compositing.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of troublesome
Adjective
  • Some parents may be more lenient than others on the candy indulgence, but Arnaout says setting limits is important to avoid children getting stomach aches or nausea.
    — Lina Ruiz October 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier this year, the CFTC decided to scale back enforcement and shift to a more lenient voluntary self-reporting approach.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of lenient
Adjective
  • But the most poignant celebration comes from those closest to him.
    — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026
  • All of which would make Leo’s visit to Lourdes all the more poignant.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of poignant
Adjective
  • In this sense, there is a distinct possibility the spear wound was a final, merciful act by someone close to them.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The merciful conclusion of this horrific season officially ends the Mike Krukow era in the Giants broadcast booth.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of merciful
Adjective
  • Civil rights organizations have found that police have used minor non-moving violations such as window tinting to disproportionately search Black and brown motorists for warrants, weapons and drugs.
    — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the most moving moment of the finale is the last between John and Hal (or, more accurately, the Hal-o-gram).
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of moving
Adjective
  • The design vision also includes reducing water use through native and drought-tolerant plants.
    — Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • These varietals are not only tolerant to the high desert environment, but they were also planted with the sole purpose of conserving water and controlling run-off.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of tolerant
Adjective
  • Langley’s voice, which is emotive but steady, seems unusually well suited to this sort of doleful yearning.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Measles is the canary in the coal mine for vaccination and public health, and at this moment, the canary is singing a doleful tune.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Definition of doleful
Adjective
  • Pastor Adam, as many know him in Kansas, is soft spoken and congenial.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • While Suffolk’s undergraduate library back on Temple Street was congenial, the Athenaeum’s depth was something else entirely (current holdings now total 600,000 books).
    — David Shribman, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of congenial
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.

Browse Nearby Words

ruth
ruthful
ruthless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ruthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruthful. Accessed 23 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 asunder

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