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If someone can be ruthless, can one also be ruthful?
Ruthless can be defined as "without ruth" or "having no ruth." So what, then, is ruth? The noun ruth, which is now considerably less common than ruthless, means "compassion for the misery of another," "sorrow for one's own faults," or "remorse." And, just as it is possible for one to be without ruth, it is also possible to be full of ruth. The antonym of ruthless is ruthful, meaning "full of ruth" or "tender." Ruthful can also mean "full of sorrow" or "causing sorrow." Ruth can be traced back to the Middle English noun ruthe, itself from ruen, meaning "to rue" or "to feel regret, remorse, or sorrow."
Synonyms of ruthless
Examples of ruthless in a Sentence
Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
However, tranquility dissolves into chaos when a ruthless gang, headed by the mysterious Totec, targets them in a brutal attack.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
See Glen be hunted by ruthless killers and go a little crazy.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 Nov. 2025
Episodes under 90 seconds require ruthless economy of storytelling, with every moment engineered for maximum emotional impact and cliffhanger potential.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ruthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruthless. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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