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.

Villains in previous Toy Story movies have included a large purple teddy bear called Lotso, troubled next-door neighbour Sid, a ruthless toy collector named Al and creepy vintage doll Gabby Gabby.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Czesław is an ethnic Pole in the Red Army who escaped a ruthless German ambush.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

The “Five-Dollar Day”—part publicity stunt, part ruthless business tactic—jump-started a consumer revolution that drove the U.S. economy to 20th-century global dominance and still powers it today.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Among some of the highlights were her impressive hat-trick at home to Tottenham in March, and a ruthless four-goal haul against Aston Villa in December.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

“This thief is way more ruthless than we thought.”

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

Vocabulary lists containing ruthless

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