as in merciless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
an office supervisor with a ruthless disregard for others' feelings
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Recent Examples of ruthless
Police subsequently conducted an investigation but struggled to make sense of the ruthless murder and strange crime scene, which included a gun near her body despite there being no evidence of gunshot wounds.
—
Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Chief among them is Poorna Jagannathan, who serves effectively as the third central focus of the show as Mir and Raj’s loving but ruthless Auntie Lucky, the right-hand woman who takes over the business after their father’s death.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 30 May 2026
His eyes gave him away as a ruthless competitor.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 28 May 2026
That ruthless lack of sentiment, strangely, is part of what makes Maverick so satisfying.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruthless
Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Chief among them is Poorna Jagannathan, who serves effectively as the third central focus of the show as Mir and Raj’s loving but ruthless Auntie Lucky, the right-hand woman who takes over the business after their father’s death.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 30 May 2026
His eyes gave him away as a ruthless competitor.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 28 May 2026
That ruthless lack of sentiment, strangely, is part of what makes Maverick so satisfying.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruthless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruthless
Adjective
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Having catalogued the Black Death’s horrifying effects, Ibn Khatima went on to outline a series of preventative measures and active treatments designed to combat this merciless scourge.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
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The jokes on social media will be endless, and opposing fans will be merciless.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Ruthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruthless. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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