Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of ruth

59 similar words · 1 opposite word

Another word for ruth is commiseration. Other synonyms of ruth are rue, compassion, empathy, fellow feeling and mercy.

Synonyms and similar words for ruth

nounSorrow for the misery of another person; compassion, mercy, pity.

  • commiserationThe act of commiserating; sorrow for the hardships or afflictions of another; pity; compassion.
  • rueSorrow; repentance; regret.
  • compassion
  • empathy
  • fellow feelingA sense of sympathy for, consideration of, or shared interests with one or more other human beings.
  • mercyRelenting; forbearance to cause or allow harm to another.
  • pityA feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
  • sympathyA feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
  • tenderheartednessThe characteristic of being tenderhearted.
  • loving-kindness
  • bowels archaicCompassion, sympathy.
  • remorse obsoleteSorrow; pity; compassion.

nounRegret, remorse, repentance.

  • contritionThe state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.
  • agenbiteRemorse, ayenbite.
  • compunctionA pricking of conscience or a feeling of regret, especially one which is slight or fleeting.
  • guiltRegret for having done wrong.
  • penitenceThe condition of being penitent; a feeling of regret or remorse for doing wrong or sinning.
  • repentance
  • self-reproachBlame or condemnation directed at the self, as by the conscience.
  • sorriness

nounMatter for regret or sorrow; calamity, ruin; also, occasion for regret or sorrow; (countable) an...

  • hardshipA burden, a source of difficulty that could impose a barrier.
  • sorrowUnhappiness, woe.
  • affliction
  • aggrievanceOppression; hardship; grievance.
  • distressA cause of such discomfort.
  • griefEmotional pain, generally arising from misfortune, significant personal loss, bereavement, misconduct of oneself or...
  • grievanceSomething which causes grief.
  • miseryGreat unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe.
  • sadnessAn event in one's life that causes sadness.
  • undelightThe condition or feeling of lacking delight; unhappiness or displeasure.
  • vexationA source of mental distress or trouble; an affliction, a woe; also, a source of annoyance or irritation; an annoyance...
  • woeGreat sadness or distress; a misfortune causing such sadness.
  • wrongAn instance of wronging someone (sometimes with possessive to indicate the wrongdoer).

nounDistress, misery, sorrow.

  • dejectionA state of melancholy or depression; low spirits, the blues.
  • unhappinessThe feeling of not being happy.
  • bluenessMelancholy.
  • tristesse literarySadness.
  • mirthlessLacking mirth; devoid of joy; sad.
  • bluesA feeling of sadness or depression.
  • crestfallennessThe quality of being crestfallen.
  • depressionA state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future...
  • despondencyA feeling of depression or disheartenment.
  • dolefulnessThe characteristic of being doleful; sadness.
  • downheartednessThe characteristic of being downhearted; sadness.
  • forlornnessThe state or characteristic of being forlorn; sadness; loneliness.
  • ill-beingThe state of being ill, unhealthy, or unhappy; misery; miserableness.
  • infelicity
  • melancholiaDeep sadness or gloom; melancholy.
  • melancholyGreat sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
  • mourn literarySorrow, grief.
  • sorrowfulnessThe quality or state of sorrow; sadness.
  • tristfulnessSadness; sorrow; melancholy.
  • woefareDiscontentment; sorrow; unhappiness.
  • wretchednessAn unhappy state of mental or physical suffering.
  • drearihead obsoleteSadness; dreariness.
  • heartsore rareHeartache, misery, grief.
  • mishappiness obsoleteUnhappiness; wretchedness; misery.
  • prosternation obsoleteDejection; depression.
  • regret obsoleteEmotional pain on account of something done or experienced in the past, with a wish that it had been different; a...

Opposite of ruth

nounSorrow for the misery of another person; compassion, mercy, pity.

  • unruthA lack of ruth; mercilessness, pitilessness.

Meaning of ruth

  1. noun Sorrow for the misery of another person; compassion, mercy, pity.
  2. noun Regret, remorse, repentance.
  3. noun Matter for regret or sorrow; calamity, ruin; also, occasion for regret or sorrow; (countable) an instance of this; a disaster, a pitiful thing.

Full definition of ruth

ruth in other languages

Questions about synonyms of ruth

What is another word for ruth?
Ruth has 59 synonyms on Word.ws, such as commiseration, rue, compassion, empathy, fellow feeling, mercy, pity and sympathy.
What is the opposite of ruth?
The opposite of ruth is unruth.
What does ruth mean?
Ruth means sorrow for the misery of another person; compassion, mercy, pity.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: ruth (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of ruth.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/ruth. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.