ruthful
Definition
Adjective: - Feeling or expressing sorrow, grief, or penitence for sins or offenses; characterized by or showing remorse or pity.
Usage
The adjective "ruthful" is a formal and somewhat archaic term. It is used to describe a person, their feelings, or their expressions when they are deeply sorrowful, especially due to regret for wrongdoing or compassion for others' suffering. It conveys a sense of poignant sadness or contrition.
Examples
- The knight gave a ruthful sigh as he remembered his past mistakes.
- Her ruthful eyes revealed the depth of her regret for the harsh words she had spoken.
- He listened to the tragic tale with a ruthful heart.
Advanced Usage
- Literary/Archaic Context: "Ruthful" is most commonly found in older literary or poetic texts. In modern usage, words like "sorrowful," "remorseful," or "contrite" are more frequent.
- The poet wrote ruthful verses about the ravages of war.
Variants and Related Words
- Ruth (noun, archaic): Sorrow, grief, or pity.
- He felt great ruth for the suffering of the poor.
- Ruthless (adjective): Having no pity or compassion; merciless. (This is the more common modern antonym of "ruthful").
- The ruthless tyrant showed no mercy.
Synonyms
- Sorrowful
- Remorseful
- Contrite
- Penitent
- Regretful
- Compassionate (in the sense of feeling pity)
Antonyms
- Ruthless
- Unrepentant
- Merciless
- Hard-hearted
Notes
"Ruthful" is not commonly used in contemporary everyday English. Its primary value for a language learner is in understanding historical or literary texts. The related noun "ruth" is the root, and the more common word "ruthless" is its direct opposite.
Adjective
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feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses
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