ruthlessness
無慈悲さ
解説 Definition
他者の苦しみや困難に対して、一切の同情や慈悲心がない状態。残酷で無情な態度や行動を表します。感情を持たない冷徹さと厳しさを示します。
Ruthlessness means a cruel and hard attitude that shows no pity or kindness. It is often used to describe behavior in war, business, politics, or personal conflict when someone does whatever is necessary to win or get power. The word has a strongly negative meaning.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
まずは形で分けて覚えると残りやすいです。ruthless を知っていれば、-ness が付いた ruthlessness は「ruthlessであること」だと取れます。英語では -less は「〜がない」、-ness は「性質」。使う場面も一緒に覚えると強く、corporate ruthlessness, political ruthlessness のように、結果のために他人への配慮を切り捨てる冷酷さを表します。単なる strictness や toughness より重く、「厳しい」ではなく「容赦しない」が核心です。
Build this word step by step: `ruthless` + `-ness`. If `-ness` means "the quality of," then `ruthlessness` means the quality of being ruthless. It often appears in phrases like `corporate ruthlessness` or `political ruthlessness`, which help you remember its strong, cold tone.
例文
The dictator's ruthlessness was evident in his treatment of political opponents.
その独裁者の無慈悲さは、政治的反対派への扱いに明らかでした。
The villain's ruthlessness made him one of the most feared characters in the story.
その悪役の無慈悲さは、彼をストーリーの最も恐れられたキャラクターの一つにしました。
His ruthlessness in business dealings earned him both respect and enemies.
彼のビジネス取引における無慈悲さは、彼に敬意と敵の両方をもたらしました。
ruthlessness の類義語・関連語
ruthlessness の語源・成り立ち Etymology
ruthlessness は ruth「哀れみ・思いやり」に、欠如を表す接尾辞 -less と名詞化の -ness が付いた語です。ruth は古英語由来で rue「後悔する・哀れむ」と同系で、「思いやりが無い状態」から無慈悲さの意味になります。
"Ruthlessness" is built from "ruth," "-less," and "-ness." "Ruth" is an old English word meaning pity or compassion, and it is related to "rue," which has senses of sorrow and regret. The addition of "-less" gave the sense of lacking pity, and "-ness" turned it into a noun. The word preserves an older root that is now mostly seen only in this family.
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