despiadado
/despjaˈdado/
The English phrase ruthless is translated into Spanish as despiadado.
The adjective is used to describe someone or something that acts without pity or compassion.
Meaning: without pity or compassion (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, the word must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The masculine singular form is despiadado. To modify a feminine noun, change the final -o to -a to get despiadada. For masculine plural nouns, use the ending -os to form despiadados and for feminine plural nouns, use the ending -as to form despiadadas.
How do you pronounce it?
/despjaˈdado/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, piedad serves as the primary word for 'mercy' or 'compassion', while in English, its cognate 'piety' almost exclusively refers to religious devotion.
- While 'ruthless' is often used in English business contexts to mean 'competitive', using despiadado in a Spanish business meeting would sound much more much more sinister and villainous.
- The word despiadado can be used to describe things that are not human, such as a 'ruthless' wind or a 'ruthless' sun, not just people.
Examples in context
- Sé despiadado.Be ruthless.This sentence uses despiadado to give a command.Tatoeba #2467149 by marcelostockle, translation #2111957 by CK
- Las comunidades LGBT de todo el mundo te tratan de "héroe" y dicen que te tendieron una trampa le explicó Al-Sayib—, pero las agencias del orden público te etiquetan como un asesino despiadado. ¿Cuál de los dos eres, Dima?"LGBT communities around the world are calling you a 'hero', and say that you were framed," Al-Sayib explained. "But the law enforcement agencies are all labeling you as a ruthless murderer. Which one are you, Dima?"This sentence uses despiadado to describe a murderer.Tatoeba #583982 by Shishir, translation #582203 by FeuDRenais2
- La competencia en el mundo empresarial es implacable.Competition in the business world is ruthless.
- Ese tipo es desalmado, no le importa el sufrimiento ajeno.That guy is ruthless, he doesn't care about others' suffering.
- El empresario era un hombre despiadado con sus empleados.The businessman was a ruthless man with his employees.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are discussing a villain in a movie.
- SofíaEse villano es realmente despiadado.That villain is truly ruthless.
- DanielSí, no tiene nada de compasión.Yes, he has no compassion at all.
- SofíaMe da mucho miedo su personalidad.His personality scares me a lot.
- DanielEs comprensible, es un personaje muy cruel.It is understandable, he is a very cruel character.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ruthless” translations and entries despiadado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
