ruthless — having or showing no pity or compassion for others; cruel and merciless
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: having or showing no pity or compassion for others; cruel and merciless
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈruːθləs/
Example Sentences
- My boss is so ruthless, he fired Santa Claus for taking too many cookie breaks.
- The company's ruthless cost-cutting measures eliminated all employee benefits.
- She was ruthless in her criticism, pointing out every tiny flaw in the presentation.
ruthless
ADJECTIVE[/ˈruːθləs/]
having or showing no pity or compassion for others; cruel and merciless

The ruthless general orders the attack without a single glance back at the wounded.

RUTH(pity) + LESS(without) — acting entirely LESS(without) RUTH(pity), the rich man gave a ruthless kick to the starving beggar.

Working at the ticket booth, the toothless guard suddenly became a ruthless monster to the poor kids.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Middle English, combining 'ruth' (meaning compassion or pity, from Old Norse 'ruth' meaning sorrow/regret) with the suffix '-less'. The word literally means 'without compassion or mercy'.
Breakdown
ruth (compassion, pity) + -less (without, lacking)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My boss is so ruthless, he fired Santa Claus for taking too many cookie breaks.”
“The company's ruthless cost-cutting measures eliminated all employee benefits.”
“She was ruthless in her criticism, pointing out every tiny flaw in the presentation.”
“The ruthless pirate captain made his crew walk the plank for eating his last piece of pizza.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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