as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
a theater critic with a take-no-prisoners approach to reviewing Broadway's latest offerings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of take-no-prisoners
All eight club tracks follow the same basic template, one cribbed from Midwestern producers like Boo Williams and Paul Johnson, as well as early, ravey Daft Punk and, in particular, the take-no-prisoners cutups of Germany’s Soundhack.
—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
25 June 2026
And Childress got an Earnhardt descendant in Busch — a driver who some considered a villain for his take-no-prisoners style, a father, an all-time great who for the longest time couldn’t win the biggest race of them all.
—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
Lemieux played a total of 1,215 games in the NHL, and his statistics were legion, as was his take-no-prisoners reputation.
—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
His take-no-prisoners approach played well.
—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
12 May 2026
Chicago is known for its hard-nosed politics and take-no-prisoners attitude.
—
Glenn Davis,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Her take-no-prisoners portrayal of Lois quickly became a defining career highlight.
—
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
But some specialists in legal ethics expressed doubts at the time that the additional pledge would affect courtroom behavior — the late Stanford Law professor Deborah Rhode said some lawyers simply conclude that a take-no-prisoners attitude would help their client.
—
Bob Egelko,
San Francisco Chronicle,
16 Mar. 2026
Continuing in his take-no-prisoners approach, Lane moved on from Chalamet to relate an anecdote, first told by his friend Jesse Tyler Ferguson on a podcast, in which Lane met Ferguson’s young son, who was duly dazzled by The Lion King star.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
12 Mar. 2026
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
25 June 2026
And Childress got an Earnhardt descendant in Busch — a driver who some considered a villain for his take-no-prisoners style, a father, an all-time great who for the longest time couldn’t win the biggest race of them all.
—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
Lemieux played a total of 1,215 games in the NHL, and his statistics were legion, as was his take-no-prisoners reputation.
—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
His take-no-prisoners approach played well.
—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
12 May 2026
Chicago is known for its hard-nosed politics and take-no-prisoners attitude.
—
Glenn Davis,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Her take-no-prisoners portrayal of Lois quickly became a defining career highlight.
—
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
But some specialists in legal ethics expressed doubts at the time that the additional pledge would affect courtroom behavior — the late Stanford Law professor Deborah Rhode said some lawyers simply conclude that a take-no-prisoners attitude would help their client.
—
Bob Egelko,
San Francisco Chronicle,
16 Mar. 2026
Continuing in his take-no-prisoners approach, Lane moved on from Chalamet to relate an anecdote, first told by his friend Jesse Tyler Ferguson on a podcast, in which Lane met Ferguson’s young son, who was duly dazzled by The Lion King star.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for take-no-prisoners
Adjective
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Natural selection is usually ruthless about weeding out traits with no function.
-
Supergirl builds to a final showdown with Krem of the Yellow Hills, the ruthless Brigands leader who murdered Ruthye’s family and poisoned Krypto early in the film.
Adjective
-
The poem that precedes it, the Iliad, is a cruel and beautiful work, the ultimate story of war; the Odyssey has its warlike passages, but its central energies seem almost commonplace beside the merciless fury of Achilles.
-
Humility is the posture; the standard is merciless.
Cite this Entry
“Take-no-prisoners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/take-no-prisoners. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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