Remorseless

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Showing no regret or guilt for actions that have caused harm or suffering to others
2. Completely devoid of shame or contrition for wrongdoing, proceeding without hesitation despite causing damage or pain
3. Untroubled by conscience and continuing relentlessly without acknowledging or regretting harmful consequences

Etymology: Remorseless is a plain compound: "remorse" with the suffix "-less," which means "without." The suffix traces back through Old English "-lēas" to a Proto-Germanic root that also gave English "loose" and "lose," and its core sense is "free from" or "lacking." So the word literally describes someone lacking remorse, the feeling of distress over one's own wrongdoing. Remorse itself came into English from Old French, which had borrowed it from Late Latin "remorsus," meaning "a biting back" or "a gnawing," from the Latin verb "remordere," "to bite again." The image is of conscience as something that nips at you. "Remorseless" follows the same pattern as other English adjectives built with "-less," such as "heartless" and "endless," so the word's shape tells you exactly what it means: a person or force that carries on without that inner gnawing.

Synonyms: ruthless, merciless, unforgiving

Antonyms: compassionate, merciful, forgiving