as in mercilessness
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Recent Examples of ruthlessness
But, for much of the 2000s, reality television insisted that this was possible, never with more fervor, ruthlessness, and capitalist commitment than on America’s Next Top Model.
—
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Now, Iranians are likely to be wary about taking to the streets again because the Revolutionary Guard has demonstrated its ruthlessness, said Kamran Matin, an expert on Iran at the University of Sussex in southern England.
—Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
Coppola was not the only director to detect reserves of ruthlessness within Duvall.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
In Season 5, Kanan’s true ruthlessness takes shape.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
This whole thing — Yasmin’s treachery, Harper’s ruthlessness, Ed’s heel turn, Lisa’s demise — is about the idea of an audit.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
But Forest’s fate may be decided by the manager’s ability to instil the ruthlessness that underpinned their heroics under Nuno Espirito Santo, too.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Newspaper headlines screamed that Welch had called out McCarthy for his cruelty, his ruthlessness and his lies.
—Kristen Monroe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
The gossips leak letters indicating the family’s ruthlessness.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Now, Iranians are likely to be wary about taking to the streets again because the Revolutionary Guard has demonstrated its ruthlessness, said Kamran Matin, an expert on Iran at the University of Sussex in southern England.
—Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
Coppola was not the only director to detect reserves of ruthlessness within Duvall.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
In Season 5, Kanan’s true ruthlessness takes shape.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
This whole thing — Yasmin’s treachery, Harper’s ruthlessness, Ed’s heel turn, Lisa’s demise — is about the idea of an audit.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
But Forest’s fate may be decided by the manager’s ability to instil the ruthlessness that underpinned their heroics under Nuno Espirito Santo, too.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Newspaper headlines screamed that Welch had called out McCarthy for his cruelty, his ruthlessness and his lies.
—Kristen Monroe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
The gossips leak letters indicating the family’s ruthlessness.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruthlessness
Noun
-
Colin Gray was charged with multiple counts of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and cruelty to children.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Deliberate cruelty to animals is one of the clearest red flags.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His portrayal is different than Jacob Elordi’s in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, emphasizing the character’s savagery while focusing on an intriguing new wrinkle courtesy of Gyllenhaal’s script.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
-
But those familiar with Golding’s 1954 novel will know that its macabre themes of civilization versus savagery and the nature of evil are a far step away from the West End.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
The series begins before Gein has ever killed, in 1945, as dawning awareness of death camps in Europe fills the air with sadism and conspiracy thinking.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The invading parasite is a culture of hate and paranoia and sadism — mass hysteria as sanctioned by the government that is supposed to protect you.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Is there also a whiff of nostalgia in the slow movement, for a world disintegrating in brutality?—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
An Iranian man living in Colorado who fled after the 1970s revolution to keep his wife and daughters safe and free, says his generation regrets supporting the change in government that led to decades of brutality.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the level of violence, the level of inhumanity, the level of atrocity in Iran, is what moves me.—
Lily Moayeri,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
-
His cinema verite style powerfully exposed the horrific inhumanity of public institutions (like hospitals, schools and housing projects) supposedly created to help people.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Thousands of children have been terrorized, detained, and many have been deported because of ICE’s unchecked barbarity.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Cathy escapes, the Jimmies' numbers are diminished, and the stomach-churning barbarity finally comes to an end.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The ferocity of Iran’s attacks on America’s Gulf allies, and the regime’s determination to keep fighting, have already come as a nasty surprise to him.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
7 Mar. 2026
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But the ferocity of Tehran’s retaliation has left both governments and people of the region stunned.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruthlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruthlessness. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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