ruthless
Americanadjective
adjective
Related Words
See cruel.
Other Word Forms
- ruthlessly adverb
- ruthlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of ruthless
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.
Ursula has shades of Gellar’s famous characters — Buffy’s physical ferocity, Kathryn Merteuil’s ruthless cattiness, Daphne Blake’s affinity for mysterious games — but doesn’t play to one exclusively.
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026
Ghalibaf is considered ruthless and ambitious but also a competent manager.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
David Plotz: Do you get the sense that Lachlan has the ruthless brilliance and the eye for talent that Rupert Murdoch has had?
From Slate • Mar. 21, 2026
Van Geelen’s test is ruthless: If an AI agent can do it for you, a company’s competitive edge was never its technology.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
“Our only chance is clever bargaining. Cliff trolls are cunning and ruthless, but their avarice can be a weakness.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
