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
Awkward giggles and ruthless stares punctuate silence until the blind matriarch (played by Tracy Letts) asks his daughter to describe Martha’s (Elle Fanning) appearance to him in exhaustive detail.
—
David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
What remains essential — however daunting — is collective organization and internal solidarity among people who now know that even the smallest act of protest will be met with ruthless force.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Aeryn is part of the ruthless Peacekeepers, who are tasked with bringing back Moya and dealing with those who oppose the organization.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Many Americans believe White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland-security adviser Stephen Miller is a cruel, ruthless maniac intent on turning the country into an authoritarian ethno-state.
—John Ficarra, Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruthless
David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
What remains essential — however daunting — is collective organization and internal solidarity among people who now know that even the smallest act of protest will be met with ruthless force.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Aeryn is part of the ruthless Peacekeepers, who are tasked with bringing back Moya and dealing with those who oppose the organization.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Many Americans believe White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland-security adviser Stephen Miller is a cruel, ruthless maniac intent on turning the country into an authoritarian ethno-state.
—John Ficarra, Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruthless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruthless
Adjective
-
But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the blood-thirsty actions of the realm’s merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Mackie) with secrets of his own.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Across this stony landscape, light sometimes falls.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Forgotten animal pens, decaying cages and stony backdrops now sit in various states of abandonment.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruthless. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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