ruthless
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See cruel.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ruthless
Explanation
Ruthless means showing no mercy or compassion. If you really want to cut down on the clutter in your apartment, you can't be sentimental about keepsakes. You have to be ruthless and throw out everything that's not absolutely essential. If you're ruthless, you're the polar opposite of Mother Theresa. You get called heartless and cold-blooded. That's one of the reasons the word crops up so often to describe dictators and tyrants, though it can also apply to other personality types — like corporate raiders and colleagues so success-driven that they'll gladly steamroll anyone to get ahead. It finds its way into milder contexts, too: Just be ruthless and rip off the Band-Aid already!
Vocabulary lists containing ruthless
Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
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Negative Words to Describe a Person
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The Things They Carried
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Being far more ruthless and determined, Miller would no doubt run a tighter ship than Pulte or McCarthy.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
Meaning, if you’re ruthless and determined, you can make a lot of money.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
It takes time for a team to come together but I thought they were really good against Brentford last weekend, but just weren't ruthless enough.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Luis Rodriguez, 64, said it was "outrageous" that an elderly woman was kicked out of her home, calling her "yet another victim" of Spain's ruthless housing market.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
It may seem ruthless, but the strategy is simple: When a strong earthquake strikes, a tsunami is likely following close behind.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
