pitiless
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See cruel.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pitiless
First recorded in 1375–1425, pitiless is from the late Middle English word piteles. See pity, -less
Explanation
Pitiless means "without mercy" or "cruel." Movie critics are often described as pitiless, because if they hate a film, they don't hold back or consider the feelings of the people who poured their hearts into making it. The root word of the adjective pitiless is pity. If someone lacks all sympathy or tenderness, you can describe them as pitiless. People who are annoyed that they have to step out of the way of homeless people who huddle against buildings in winter are probably pitiless — they just don't care about the plights of others. How can you tell if your friends are pitiless? They seem bored or annoyed when you are upset about something.
Vocabulary lists containing pitiless
Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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"The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats
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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.
Before Standard Oil became “the most gigantic, the most cruel, impudent, pitiless, and grasping monopoly which ever fastened upon a community,” it was a start-up.
From Barron's • May 2, 2026
“Amongst Women” revolves around Michael Moran, a widowed farmer who rules his family with pitiless vigor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
It’s the destination, not the journey because, again, creating art is a pitiless process that will grind you down.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2025
Our reviewer called the book “beautiful and brilliant, heartbreaking and wise, but also pitiless, which may be controversial to list among its virtues but is in fact essential to its success.”
From New York Times • May 8, 2023
They were pitiless, powerful avatars from another world.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Definitions 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.
