ruthless

English

Etymology

From Middle English reuþeles; equivalent to ruth +‎ -less.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹuːθləs/

Adjective

ruthless (comparative more ruthless, superlative most ruthless)

1. Without pity or compassion; cruel, pitiless.
   • 1725, Alexander Pope et al. (translators), Homer (author), The Odyssey of Homer, Volume I, Bernard Lintot, page 10:

     At length their rage the hoſtile Pow’rs reſtrain, / All but the ruthleſs Monarch of the Main.

Related terms

• ruthlessness

Translations

without pity or compassion

• Armenian: անգութ (hy) (angutʿ), դաժան (hy) (dažan)
• Basque: errukigabe
• Bulgarian: безмилостен (bg) m (bezmílosten), безскрупулен (bg) (bezskrupulen)
• Catalan: despietat m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 殘忍 (zh), 残忍 (zh) (cánrěn), 無情 (zh), 无情 (zh) (wúqíng)

• Czech: bezohledný m
• Danish: skånselløs, skånselsløs
• Dutch: onbarmhartig (nl), meedogenloos (nl)
• Esperanto: senkompata
• Finnish: armoton (fi), säälimätön (fi)
• French: impitoyable (fr) m, f
• Galician: desapiadado (gl)
• Georgian: შეუბრალებელი (šeubralebeli), ულმობელი (ulmobeli)
• German: unbarmherzig (de), ruchlos (de)
• Greek: αδίστακτος (el) (adístaktos)
• Hungarian: könyörtelen (hu)

• Italian: spietato (it), crudele (it)
• Japanese: 無慈悲な (mujihina)
• Khmer: គ្មានមេត្តា (kmean mettea)
• Macedonian: немилосрден m (nemilósrden), безмилосен m (bezmílosen)
• Maori: ngākau whakawiri
• Mongolian: харгис хэрцгий (hargis hertsgij)
• Norwegian: hensynsløs, ubarmhjertig (no)
• Polish: bezwzględny (pl) m
• Portuguese: impiedoso
• Russian: безжа́лостный (ru) (bezžálostnyj), беспоща́дный (ru) (bespoščádnyj), жесто́кий (ru) (žestókij)
• Shor: ачынмас
• Spanish: despiadado (es)
• Swedish: hänsynslös (sv), skoningslös (sv), obarmhärtig (sv)
• Thai: เหี้ยม (H̄eī̂ym)
• Turkish: acımasız (tr)
• Vietnamese: tàn nhẫn (vi)

Anagrams

• hurtless, hustlers, sluthers