ruthlessly

adverb

Definition of ruthlesslynext
as in mercilessly

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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 ruthlessly The Joker, Batman movies Batman’s greatest adversary is ruthlessly, functionally insane. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026 The first at Lord's was only 110 on Friday, and two days later England's all-seam attack was ruthlessly picking apart the top order again. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 That’s the conclusion Sunderland ruthlessly came to last summer. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 Players ruthlessly compete for victory points derived from controlling systems, building specific structures, discovering artifacts, and researching scientific innovations. — Alan Bradley, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026 In your case, the truth is that this friend has been ruthlessly — and rudely — taking advantage of your good nature. — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026 Show your unique speaking style For decades, communication coaches counseled clients to ruthlessly eliminate verbal tics and awkward pauses. — Matt Abrahams, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 But when the swirl of events beyond their control caught them into something immeasurably larger than a single game of soccer, not even the strength of their new mentality was enough to prevent them from being ruthlessly swept away. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026 When America was ruthlessly attacked on September 11, 2001, sports brought healing. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruthlessly
  1. mercilessly
  2. pitilessly
  3. heartlessly
  4. unmercifully
  5. callously
  6. unsparingly
  7. brutally
  8. tyrannically
Adverb
  • This is no small feat in a city where working class locals are priced out mercilessly to make way for the ultra-wealthy here to work on their winter tans.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Despite her clear influence, Rico was mercilessly heckled by Carti fans during her performance at the Portland tour stop.
    — Mehan Jayasuriya, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026
Definition of mercilessly
Adverb
  • The first hour, set at a resort that’s like a singles cruise through the Twilight Zone (or Bachelor in Paradise beamed in from a brutal alternate universe), contains some of the most pitilessly funny scenes of the filmmaker’s career.
    — A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of pitilessly
Adverb
  • Victim Nyron Shaw’s father said the driver who mowed his son down last year in Ocean Hill a day before Independence Day should face the maximum penalty for allegedly driving twice the speed limit and heartlessly taking off, leaving his son to die.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
  • In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.
    — EW.com, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Definition of heartlessly
Adverb
  • Any party member who seeks to defy his wishes risks losing a seat, being unmercifully gaslit, or trashed on Truth Social.
    — Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 22 May 2026
  • Now my son is dead after suffering unmercifully.
    — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of unmercifully
Adverb
  • The biggest fear for people who want to see books preserved through the training process is that AI firms will callously pulp rare books that can never be replaced.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Conventional wisdom callously had it that audiences might never return, especially after the pandemic in 2020 was followed in short order in 2023 by two prolonged industrywide strikes.
    — Adam Aron, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of callously
Adverb
  • Kahlo vibrantly and unsparingly depicted herself and events from her life, which was upended by a bus accident at 18.
    — Hannah Schoenbaum, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025
  • The episode unsparingly examines cultural assumptions about race and colorism; similarly, HIM is a scathing critique of how professional sports capitalize upon the bodies and minds of Black athletes.
    — Neda Ulaby, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of unsparingly
Adverb
  • Creators were posting 20- to 30-minute long smoky eye tutorials and dramatic transformations, and keeping us fed with drama as well as brutally honest reviews of the latest product drops.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Some of its efforts, such as the full-scale wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, were brutally destructive.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of brutally
Adverb
  • Gulliver’s third voyage takes him to the flying island of Laputa, which rules tyrannically over several territories situated below.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of tyrannically

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Cite this Entry

“Ruthlessly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruthlessly. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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