WordGarden.ioruth
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /rˈuːθ/
US
- /ˈruθ/
Meanings
Proper-noun
a feminine given name
the biblical woman whose story is central to the Book of Ruth
the biblical book named for Ruth
Noun
pity or compassionate sorrow for someone else's suffering
Beyond the definition
Ruth is not just a name; it is an old word for pity, compassion, or tender sorrow for someone else's trouble. Think of seeing a stray animal shivering in the rain. That sudden feeling of caring and sadness is the kind of feeling this word points to.
The word comes from Middle English and now feels literary or old-fashioned. Most people meet it in "ruthless," which originally meant "without pity." You might feel this emotion for a character in a sad story, for someone in pain, or for a person facing hard luck. It is close to sympathy, but it carries a softer and more heartfelt sense of sorrow.
Ruth is an old literary noun meaning pity, compassion, or sorrow for another person's suffering. It names the gentle, painful feeling that rises when you see hardship, weakness, grief, or unfairness and your heart turns toward the person who is hurting.
The word comes from Middle English ruthe and is related to older ideas of sorrow and regret. In many contexts, though, its main sense is not guilt about your own actions but compassion for someone else's pain. You might feel it when you see injustice, when you notice how vulnerable someone is, or when a tragic story brings another person's suffering close to you. The feeling often suggests mercy and a wish to be kind.
It overlaps with words like "pity," "compassion," and "mercy." Compared with plain sympathy, it often sounds deeper, more emotional, and more poetic. That is one reason the word survives so strongly inside "ruthless," a term for someone who shows no pity at all.
Writers have used it for centuries when they want language that feels serious, emotional, or old-fashioned. Shakespeare and other older authors used it to speak about mercy, grief, and human tenderness.
Today, you are more likely to notice the idea through related words than to hear this noun in everyday speech. Still, when a scene fills you with sorrow for another person and moves you toward mercy, kindness, or pity, that feeling is what this word names.
Examples
- 1
Literary feeling
Even in victory, the prince felt ruth for the men he had defeated.
- Usage
ruth is a literary, old-fashioned word
- 2
Poetic pity
The poem describes a mother watching the condemned boy with ruth.
- 3
No mercy
In the novel, the conqueror moves through the city without ruth.
- Phrasewithout ruth
without pity
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Do not confuse
- Ruth the name
Used with (collocations)
- without ruth
Word family
- ruthful
- ruthless
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- ruthnoun