ruthful

adjective

Definition of ruthfulnext
1
as in troublesome

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in pitying

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruthful
  1. troublesome
  2. lenient
  3. poignant
  4. merciful
  5. moving
  6. tolerant
  7. doleful
  8. congenial
Adjective
  • The show about the white-picket fence Cleaver family and their troublesome son created a foundational image of post-war Americana that has been so influential, the show’s title is a shorthand for this era of conservative nuclear family values.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 June 2026
  • One of the troublesome sounds for writers was /w/.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
Definition of troublesome
Adjective
  • There was a credible argument for being more lenient, but also one for dismissing the striker.
    — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • One of the features of this World Cup has been the desire of FIFA officials, under the direction of former World Cup final referee Pierluigi Collina, to be lenient in games and allow matches to flow without excessive disruption.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of lenient
Adjective
  • Another child was rescued from the rubble in Venezuela’s La Guaira region, marking a poignant moment at the close of a long and emotionally charged day of crisis response on Saturday.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 28 June 2026
  • But Van Sant’s imaginative and deeply poignant retelling of Shakespeare’s Henry IV is a pleasure in its own right, its sweetness and gentle touches of surrealism coming together to form a heartbreaking ode to young love.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 June 2026
Definition of poignant
Adjective
  • Just when a dreadful day was approaching a merciful end, the chants from the remaining crowd at Citi Field poked fun at the New York Mets’ mess in a way boos cannot match with ridicule.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 25 June 2026
  • That painful night in Dallas now feels merciful, compared with what this Avs team just experienced.
    — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 May 2026
Definition of merciful
Adjective
  • To discover that the notes corresponded to where there was more human activity was really very moving.
    — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • The report conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California analyzed 2023-24 traffic stop data and found that Sacramento police disproportionately stopped Black drivers, often for minor vehicle equipment or non-moving violations.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2026
Definition of moving
Adjective
  • Healthier lawns can be achieved by watering less often, improving soil, and choosing drought-tolerant grass types.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 5 July 2026
  • Refresh potting soil annually, add mulch to retain moisture, and consider drought-tolerant plants.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2026
Definition of tolerant
Adjective
  • Measles is the canary in the coal mine for vaccination and public health, and at this moment, the canary is singing a doleful tune.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • But if the film occasionally threatens to float away into its own inaccessible realm, Camp’s witty, doleful performance grounds it with a human dimension, albeit not a terribly warm one.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 June 2026
Definition of doleful
Adjective
  • Meaning, connecting deeply with the audience to the point of a congenial fracture of time and space.
    — Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 1 July 2026
  • Even when his final Kings season collapsed around him, Hiller maintained a professional, even congenial, relationship with media members, and that can serve him well in the cauldron that is Toronto.
    — Eric Stephens, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Definition of congenial
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

ruth
ruthful
ruthless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ruthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruthful. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All