as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
shocked by the mother's compassionless treatment of her autistic child
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Recent Examples of compassionless
Oscar and Birdie’s oily son Leo (a perceptive Christian Cooper) seems headed in the direction of his father, with his compassionless attitude toward life.
—
Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compassionless
Adjective
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Others think Davie’s ruthless headcount reductions led to a brain drain, which in turn precipitated editorial errors that ultimately led to his resignation.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
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Typewriters, stationery, fine-art museums, the quintessential impressionist painter—these are all associated with taste, beauty, and craft, as well as with intentionality and care, the opposite of the ruthless technological efficiency that repels many from generative AI.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The end was swift and merciless.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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And the bracket carnage was swift and merciless.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Except every movie tends to get five buckets, while the rest of their time curdles into Tim sharing too much about his personal life as Gregg stares on, his stony, Buster Keaton-like face saying nothing and everything.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Mar. 2026
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That same stony resistance stymied Henry’s next attempt at commercial success, a parasol with a snap-on cover that could be changed to match a woman’s outfit.—
Shoshi Parks,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compassionless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassionless. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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