as in mercilessly
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Recent Examples of ruthlessly
Sometimes that means honoring the past; sometimes that means ruthlessly hitting reset with a lively new Bond for our modern times (the game even features tension over AI).
—
Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
Tire management has improved dramatically since the opening rounds, while his qualifying performances have become ruthlessly consistent.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Seeing a fellow free agent cut only a few days into rookie minicamp with the Raiders woke up Matsuzawa to the reality that although his place in the international pathway allows for a potentially longer stay on a roster, his spot in the ruthlessly competitive NFL isn’t guaranteed.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The game plan Chicago drew up on Wednesday was simple, almost ruthlessly so.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
These are difficult times and the pressure is mounting for Wolves to act ruthlessly.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 3 May 2026
Millions of Germans joined the audience for the Nazi play, in which Hitler played the glorious Leader and the regime ruled ruthlessly while spinning stories about its own rectitude.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Instead of The Expanse’s sprawling epic of humanity’s journey to the stars, The Captive’s War sees humans brought under the thumb of a ruthlessly controlling alien empire and struggling to resist, build lives and maybe even find a way to win.
—Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2026
The Apollo program was centrally planned and ruthlessly methodical.
—David W. Brown, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
Tire management has improved dramatically since the opening rounds, while his qualifying performances have become ruthlessly consistent.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Seeing a fellow free agent cut only a few days into rookie minicamp with the Raiders woke up Matsuzawa to the reality that although his place in the international pathway allows for a potentially longer stay on a roster, his spot in the ruthlessly competitive NFL isn’t guaranteed.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The game plan Chicago drew up on Wednesday was simple, almost ruthlessly so.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
These are difficult times and the pressure is mounting for Wolves to act ruthlessly.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 3 May 2026
Millions of Germans joined the audience for the Nazi play, in which Hitler played the glorious Leader and the regime ruled ruthlessly while spinning stories about its own rectitude.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Instead of The Expanse’s sprawling epic of humanity’s journey to the stars, The Captive’s War sees humans brought under the thumb of a ruthlessly controlling alien empire and struggling to resist, build lives and maybe even find a way to win.
—Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2026
The Apollo program was centrally planned and ruthlessly methodical.
—David W. Brown, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruthlessly
Adverb
-
The home crowd mercilessly booed Schultz as Arraez jogged off the pain, then cheered even louder when the pitcher was pulled from the game.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 May 2026
-
Because sometimes, somebody will go down, and then the other fighter will jump on him and start punching him mercilessly in the head.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
22 May 2026
Adverb
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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
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
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In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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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
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Now my son is dead after suffering unmercifully.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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The heartbroken mother of a 15-year-old boy who was beaten and fatally shot inside a Queens park as dozens of teens callously filmed the slaying on their phones condemned his killer — and those who did nothing but watch him die.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Marley’s level of fame and influence meant that, after his death at 36, his legacy, his spirit, his brand was to be shaped by a record industry that could be callously indifferent to truth or quality at the expense of revenue.—
Eric Harvey,
Pitchfork,
18 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Kahlo vibrantly and unsparingly depicted herself and events from her life, which was upended by a bus accident at 18.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Nov. 2025
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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
Adverb
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In December of ‘91, Beuerlein came off the bench to fill in for injured starting quarterback Troy Aikman and led the Cowboys to an upset playoff win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on a brutally cold day on Lake Michigan.—
Mac Engel
June 4,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2026
-
In 2023, a Brazilian university student died while waiting for a brutally hot concert by the pop star.—
Rebecca Hersher,
NPR,
4 June 2026
Adverb
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The complaints also allege the 37 people detained were taken to the Broadview ICE detention center where they were treated inhumanely.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Building Alligator Alcatraz and being proud of treating people inhumanely while at the same time stealing money for his charity is disgusting.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruthlessly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruthlessly. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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