pitiless

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ˈpɪtiləs/ UK /ˈpɪtiləs/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
showing no pity; merciless or relentless

The pitiless desert sun beat down on the stranded travelers.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · showing no pity; merciless... merciless ruthless relentless heartless cruelunsparingremorselesshard-hearted

Opposites

merciful compassionate kind tender lenient

Word family

Forms pitilessly

Derived forms pitilesslypitilessness

Related forms pity pitiful piteous pitiable

Etymology

From Middle English pite ('pity') + -less, the pity element ultimately from Old French pite and Latin pietas ('compassion, piety').

pite Old French pietas Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

# pitiless

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˈpɪtiləs
**IPA (UK):** ˈpɪtiləs

## Meanings
1. showing no pity; merciless or relentless

## Examples
- The pitiless desert sun beat down on the stranded travelers.

## Synonyms
- merciless
- ruthless
- relentless
- heartless
- cruel
- unsparing
- remorseless
- hard-hearted

## Antonyms
- merciful
- compassionate
- kind
- tender
- lenient

## Derived Forms
- pitilessly
- pitilessness

## Related Forms
- pity
- pitiful
- piteous
- pitiable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: pite
- Root: pietas

## Etymology
From Middle English pite ('pity') + -less, the pity element ultimately from Old French pite and Latin pietas ('compassion, piety').

## AI Etymology
Pitiless comes from Middle English pite ('pity') + -less, the pity element ultimately from Old French pite and Latin pietas ('compassion, piety'). The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As an adjective, it carries the sense "showing no pity; merciless or relentless", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Old French pite and Latin pietas. Derivative forms include pitilessly, pitilessness; related words include pity, pitiful, piteous, pitiable.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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pitiless

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