Synonyms of merciless

merciless

adjective

ˈmər-si-ləs 

as in ruthless

having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings

she is a merciless competitor at board games of any kind

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruthless
• pitiless
• stony
• brutal
• hard
• oppressive
• harsh
• unmerciful
• cruel
• abusive
• remorseless
• heartless
• callous
• vicious
• inhuman
• malicious
• hateful
• compassionless
• unsparing
• tough
• stern
• inhumane
• soulless
• unfeeling
• obdurate
• take-no-prisoners
• insensitive
• hard-hearted
• unsympathetic
• uncharitable
• grim
• cold-blooded
• insensate
• thick-skinned
• slash-and-burn
• severe
• savage
• indurate
• affectless
• case-hardened
• stoney
• pachydermatous
• desensitized
• hard-boiled
• thoughtless
• uncaring
• ironhearted
• rough
• heedless
• mean
• unthinking
• stonyhearted
• ungentle
• unfriendly
• boorish
• inconsiderate
• spiteful
• malevolent
• unloving
• virulent
• cold
• disagreeable
• rough-and-tumble
• heavy-handed
• brutish
• barbarous
• surly
• ironfisted
• acrimonious
• bestial
• jackbooted
• ill-tempered
• sledgehammer
• rancorous
• ill-natured
• ironhanded
• hard-bitten
• evil-minded
• austere
• knock-down-and-drag-out
• frosty
• knock-down, drag-out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sympathetic
• warm
• sensitive
• merciful
• gentle
• humane
• compassionate
• charitable
• benevolent
• kind
• kindly
• mild
• tender
• lenient
• friendly
• kindhearted
• indulgent
• gracious
• softhearted
• warmhearted
• tenderhearted
• cordial
• benignant
• loving
• tolerant
• affectionate
• good-natured
• understanding
• clement
• fond
• good-tempered

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of merciless

And as long as that’s their take, merciless heckling of those umps should be, too. —Rolling Stone, 29 June 2024

Their idea involved merciless kills, a chainsaw, a group of youths and a homicidal family with a craving for human flesh; all set against the backdrop of a sunny, countryside day giving way to a nightmarish evening. —Sydney Bishop, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024

For most of them, the rigors of fighting on the eastern front only increased the value of fighting a merciless war—Hitler's war. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024

The killing of the drone operators inspired a merciless Ukrainian counterattack that has inflicted heavy casualties on the Russian unit responsible for the murders, the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade. —David Axe, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024