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If someone can be ruthless, can one also be ruthful?
Ruthless can be defined as "without ruth" or "having no ruth." So what, then, is ruth? The noun ruth, which is now considerably less common than ruthless, means "compassion for the misery of another," "sorrow for one's own faults," or "remorse." And, just as it is possible for one to be without ruth, it is also possible to be full of ruth. The antonym of ruthless is ruthful, meaning "full of ruth" or "tender." Ruthful can also mean "full of sorrow" or "causing sorrow." Ruth can be traced back to the Middle English noun ruthe, itself from ruen, meaning "to rue" or "to feel regret, remorse, or sorrow."
Synonyms of ruthless
Examples of ruthless in a Sentence
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026
The film follows 300 high school soccer players who enter a ruthless secret training facility created by the Japan Football Union to develop the world’s greatest striker.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Recently, high school students have been exposed to protests concerning women’s health care, medical costs, DOGE slashing government departments and the ruthless actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
Secretly ruthless - that's even less than a sentence.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruthless
Cite this Entry
“Ruthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruthless. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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