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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruthless
When a ruthless despot steals a billion-dollar fortune, the team is sent to steal it back on what would be for anyone else a suicide mission.
—
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors tried to characterize him as a ruthless killer, whereas the defense focussed on his tragic past.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
His initial rise to fame came from playing cunning and ruthless centuries-old vampire Eric Northman on True Blood.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Jan. 2026
Wedding allegedly became a major trafficker of cocaine into Canada and the United States and a ruthless leader who ordered killings, including one of a witness in a 2024 federal narcotics case against him.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruthless
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors tried to characterize him as a ruthless killer, whereas the defense focussed on his tragic past.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
His initial rise to fame came from playing cunning and ruthless centuries-old vampire Eric Northman on True Blood.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Jan. 2026
Wedding allegedly became a major trafficker of cocaine into Canada and the United States and a ruthless leader who ordered killings, including one of a witness in a 2024 federal narcotics case against him.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruthless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruthless
Adjective
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But the Warriors, driven by the merciless ticking clock of Curry’s career, are desperate.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
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In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary who must save his teenage daughter after she’s kidnapped by the merciless army officer, Colonel Lockjaw (played by Sean Penn).—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Without prosecutors empowered to bring charges against wrongdoers, judges willing to strike down overreach, legislators daring enough to demand investigations and change laws, and citizens outraged enough to protest, any revelations by journalists will fall on stony ground.—
Susan Chira,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Dec. 2025
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After that historic journey, NASA charted a new course toward Apophis, a stony metal-rich NEA that offers a sharp scientific contrast to Bennu's carbon-rich composition (and was once thought to pose a serious impact risk to Earth).—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
28 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruthless. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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