# ruth

/ˈɹuθ/ (US) · /ɹˈuːθ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ruth
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. pity or compassion

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

a feeling of pity or mercy for someone who is suffering.

For teachers: compassion or pity for the distress or misery of another person.

- The knight showed great ruth toward his defeated enemy and spared his life.
- The poem describes a king who ruled without ruth, showing no mercy to those who begged for his protection.

Usage: Usually uncountable in this sense.

Teaching tip: Modern students will mostly recognize this root in the adjective 'ruthless' (without pity).

### 2. regret or remorse

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

a feeling of being sorry for something you have done wrong.

For teachers: sorrow or remorse for one's own faults or past actions.

- He was filled with ruth after realizing how much pain his words had caused.
- The protagonist spent his final years in a state of deep ruth, lamenting the choices that had led to his isolation.

Teaching tip: This sense is extremely rare in modern English outside of academic study of Middle English texts.

## Examples

- The king showed no ruth to his enemies.
- The ancient poem describes a warrior who felt a sudden pang of ruth for the orphans left behind after the battle.
- In the tragic play, the protagonist's lack of ruth eventually leads to his isolation, as he ignores the suffering of those who once served him faithfully.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.