ruthless

[rooth-lis]

adjective

1. without pity or compassion; cruel; merciless.

   a ruthless tyrant.

   Synonyms: relentless, adamant, unrelenting

ruthless

/ ˈruːθlɪs /

adjective

1. feeling or showing no mercy; hardhearted

Other Word Forms

• ruthlessness noun
• ruthlessly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruthless¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; ruth + -less

Synonym Study

See cruel.

Example Sentences

In Pakistan, supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan attacked military installations and ransacked the home of a senior military officer in 2023 but failed to seize power from the well-organized and ruthless army.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

And while it’s giving them far too much credit, I have to wonder if there’s a ruthless, viciously humorous kind of satisfaction in watching two people become equals on the treacherous battlefield of unemployment.

Read more on Salon

Without American help Israel could not have attacked Gaza with such ruthless and prolonged force.

Read more on BBC

I tell him this sounds ruthless and could ruin someone's life.

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This ruthless dismantling of South Africa was rooted in such qualities.

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Related Words

• barbarous 
• brutal 
• callous 
• cold-blooded 
• cruel 
• cutthroat 
• ferocious 
• fierce 
• harsh 
• inhuman 
• malevolent 
• merciless 
• rancorous 
• relentless 
• sadistic 
• savage 
• unforgiving 
• unrelenting 
• unyielding 
• vicious