RUTHLESSNESS Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

ruthlessness

noun

Definition of ruthlessness

as in mercilessness

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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 ruthlessness Directed by Martin Scorsese and set in the late 80s and early 90s, the movie starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, an uninhibited young stockbroker who becomes enamored by the excess and ruthlessness of Wall Street. — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026 Something in the liberal heart recoils in the face of righteous ruthlessness. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 The series follows a fictionalized version of the Westies, a small Irish-American gang in the mid- to late-20th century whose ruthlessness and brutality gave them an outsized reputation. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 July 2026 Released at the tail end of Reaganomics, Carpenter’s most politically forward thriller now feels like a decoder ring for ’80s-era greed, detachment, complacency and ruthlessness. — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 Vegas is not a sentimental franchise, and Golden Knights fans, in their short time, have grown callused to the ruthlessness that comes with going for it every single year. — Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 27 June 2026 The new manager was quick to promise change, ruthlessness and sacrifice in helping turn the club around. — Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 23 May 2026 Cruelty and ruthlessness are deemed just, not only in the highest echelons of politics but also trickling down to daily life. — Literary Hub, 21 May 2026 Advertisement Mallory’s ruthlessness in the custody fight begins to alarm wishy-washy Karl. — Judy Berman, Time, 20 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruthlessness

Noun

And though Din Djarian has a touch of revenge-thriller mercilessness about him, that’s more than offset by the fact that his apprentice and symbolic son is Grogu, an infant member of the same humanoid-alien species as Yoda.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 May 2026

Definition of mercilessness

Noun

He also was arrested on charges of misdemeanor child abuse, unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine for performing surgery on dogs, and dozens of counts of animal cruelty.

— Karen Morfitt, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026
Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Saleem Martin, who has been charged with kidnapping, theft by taking, simple battery, entering an automobile, cruelty to children and criminal attempt to commit a felony.

— Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruelty

Noun

This savagery can last up to a week before the mature larvae fall to the ground.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
While our money would be on The Last Son of Krypton in a main card matchup, Lobo fights dirty with a level of primal savagery that just might put the Big Blue Boy Scout and his cousin down for a few rounds.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 6 June 2026

Definition of savagery

Noun

These young graduates start out naive about the heartlessness of the corporate world and harbor illusory hopes for success in unforgiving professions.

— George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
The lives of the two children in the story, aged fourteen and four, are portrayed as being as fleeting as the fireflies, and the story is an unsentimental and unflinching account with moments of both tenderness and heartlessness.

— Ginny Tapley Takemori September 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025

Definition of heartlessness

Noun

Chiarella takes time between bouts of danger to show affection and intimacy that, in defiance of teen-slasher formula, isn’t immediately penalized with sadism.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Here, animals serve as vessels for our worst impulses, suffering at the point where curiosity turns to sadism, domination to cruelty, and self-interest to neglect.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026

Definition of sadism

Noun

Viral videos of the police brutality on Instagram and YouTube swelled the crowds even further and transformed the protest site into a zone of occupation with the energy of a carnival.

— Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
Nixon administration played hardball Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon, for example, attacked coverage of police brutality at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention as one-sided in favor of antiwar protestors.

— Heather Hendershot, The Conversation, 31 July 2026

Definition of brutality

Noun

The report comes as the RSF lays siege to El Obeid, where analysts say similar barbarity is imminent.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 9 July 2026
The barbarity of the institution, meanwhile, is self-evident—but rarely does an author present its abuses so powerfully and vividly.

— The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026

Definition of barbarity

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“Ruthlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruthlessness. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of ruthlessness

noun

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