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.

They beat United Rugby Championship holders Leinster in the final, scoring five tries in a ruthless first-half performance that made the result inevitable with 40 minutes still to play.

From BBC • May 23, 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

Pep Guardiola's side definitely have to win this game, though, and to do it they will have to be more ruthless in front of goal.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Now I am to be taken to Mmeke, Mmeke the ruthless one.

From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith

Vocabulary lists containing ruthless

Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Negative Words to Describe a Person

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

The Things They Carried

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!