ruthless

[rooth-lis] / ˈruθ lɪs /

ADJECTIVE

mean, heartless

Synonyms

STRONGEST

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

WEAK

adamant cold dog-eat-dog feral grim hard hard-hearted implacable inexorable ironfisted killer mortal obdurate pitiless remorseless revengeful severe stern stony surly unappeasable unfeeling unmerciful unsympathetic without pity

Antonyms

STRONGEST

calm civilized compassionate easy feeling flexible forgiving friendly gentle humane kind merciful mild nice nonviolent peaceful polite sympathetic tame tender

WEAK

considerate giving

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.

Visiting Nashville, Tenn., Ms. Gage considers Andrew Jackson critically as the ruthless bane of indigenous people that he was, but she misses an opportunity to explore his Scots-Irish identity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

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

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

The Northern Irishman was jeered on every throw by the Dublin crowd as he suffered a 6-0 humbling at the hands of a ruthless Price.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 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

Vocabulary lists containing ruthless

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