remorseless
Americanadjective
adjective
-
without compunction, pity, or compassion
-
not abating in intensity; relentless
a remorseless wind
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of remorseless
Explanation
A person who is remorseless doesn't feel any guilt. If you're remorseless, you don't feel bad at all — even if you've done something terrible. When someone is remorseless, that person has no feeling of pity for people who have been hurt. If you're remorseless, you have no conscience — essentially, you're cruel and ruthless. A remorseless killer doesn't care about her victim, and a remorseless critic doesn't worry about hurting someone's feelings with his harsh words. Remorse is regret, and it's rooted in the Latin word remordere, "to vex or disturb," or literally, "to bite back."
Vocabulary lists containing remorseless
Power Suffix: -less
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Tuck Everlasting
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And Then There Were None
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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.
It was an expression of the stark alternatives faced by thousands of Americans embroiled in a remorseless civil war.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
The scale of it, and its remorseless growth over the last 48 to 72 hours, nigh on guaranteed his eventual capitulation.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025
But what's telling is how remorseless Gibson has been.
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2025
“Wednesday’s tomorrow,” the Friar says in passing, noting a remorseless speed that seems to take everyone by surprise.
From New York Times • Jun. 16, 2023
It was useless to turn and fight; this was no stupid bear who could be intimidated, but a creature as remorseless and cunning as the cat himself could be, to other smaller animals.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
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.
