Ruthlessness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of acting without compassion, mercy, or regard for the suffering of others in pursuit of one's goals
2. The state of being willing to cause harm or disregard moral principles without hesitation or regret in order to achieve desired objectives
3. The trait of showing no mercy or kindness toward others, especially when pursuing an aim

Etymology: Ruthlessness is simply "ruthless" plus the suffix "-ness", which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality. The older root behind it is "ruth", meaning pity or compassion, a word that came from the Old English "hrēow", "sorrow" or "regret", and was linked to the verb "rue". Once a word meant "feeling for others' suffering," so "ruthless" at first described someone who lacked that pity. Over time, "ruth" itself faded from everyday speech, surviving mainly in phrases like "ruthless" and in the old sense of "pitiful" or "compassionate." Ruthlessness is thus a noun for the absence of a feeling its root once named.

Synonyms: cruelty, severity, hardness, mercilessness, pitilessness

Antonyms: compassion, kindness, mercy, gentleness, softness