Standard Lemma guide

pitiless

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈpɪtɪləs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P IH1 T IY0 L AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having, or showing, no pity; merciless, ruthless.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: compassionless, hardhearted, unsympathetic, barbarous, bowelless, brutal, cruel, demonic, despiteful, diabolic, diabolical, fell, incessive, inclement, inhuman, inhumane, malicious, merciless, nasty, nonhumane, pitiless, remorseless, rotten, ruthless, sadistic, savage, spiteful, truculent, unbenevolent, unbenign, unkind, unmerciful, unpitiful, unpitying

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Having no kind feelings; unkind.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

deficient in humane and kindly feelings

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unkind

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

without mercy or pity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an act of ruthless ferocity
  • a monster of remorseless cruelty

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: remorseless, ruthless, unpitying

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English piteeles, pyteles; equivalent to pity + -less.

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: վատասիրտ (vatasirt) — having no pity
  • Armenian: քար (kʻar) — having no pity
  • Belarusian: бязлі́тасны (bjazlítasny) — having no pity
  • Belarusian: неміласэ́рны (njemilasérny) — having no pity
  • Bulgarian: безмилостен (bezmilosten) — having no pity
  • Czech: nelítostný — having no pity
  • Czech: nemilosrdný — having no pity
  • Dutch: meedogenloos — having no pity
  • Dutch: onbarmhartig — having no pity
  • Esperanto: senkompata — having no pity
  • Faroese: miskunnarleysur — having no pity
  • Faroese: eirindaleysur — having no pity
  • Finnish: armoton — having no pity
  • French: impitoyable — having no pity
  • Friulian: crudêl — having no pity
  • Georgian: შეუბრალებელი (šeubralebeli) — having no pity
  • Georgian: ულმობელი (ulmobeli) — having no pity
  • German: erbarmungslos — having no pity
  • German: unbarmherzig — having no pity
  • Greek: αλύπητος (alýpitos) — having no pity
  • Ancient Greek: ἄνοικτος (ánoiktos) — having no pity
  • Irish: cruachroíoch — having no pity
  • Italian: spietato — having no pity
  • Italian: crudele — having no pity
  • Italian: impietoso — having no pity
  • Latin: torvus — having no pity
  • Latin: immisericors — having no pity
  • Manx: neuerreeishagh — having no pity
  • Polish: bezlitosny — having no pity
  • Polish: niemiłosierny — having no pity
  • Portuguese: impiedoso — having no pity
  • Portuguese: desapiedado — having no pity
  • Russian: безжа́лостный (bezžálostnyj) — having no pity
  • Russian: немилосе́рдный (nemilosérdnyj) — having no pity
  • Scottish Gaelic: neo-thruacanta — having no pity
  • Scottish Gaelic: mì-chneasta — having no pity
  • Serbo-Croatian: не̏човечан — having no pity
  • Serbo-Croatian: не̏човјечан — having no pity
  • Serbo-Croatian: не̏милосрдан — having no pity
  • Serbo-Croatian: nȅčovečan — having no pity
  • Serbo-Croatian: nȅčovječan — having no pity
  • Serbo-Croatian: nȅmilosrdan — having no pity
  • Slovak: neľútostný — having no pity
  • Spanish: despiadado — having no pity
  • Swedish: skoningslös — having no pity
  • Ottoman Turkish: دینسز (dinsiz) — having no pity
  • Ukrainian: безжа́лісний (bezžálisnyj) — having no pity
  • Ukrainian: безжа́льний (bezžálʹnyj) — having no pity
  • Ukrainian: немилосе́рдний (nemylosérdnyj) — having no pity