Meaning
ruthless, merciless
- showing no pity, compassion, or mercy; cruel and relentless
- unforgiving or brutally harsh (competition, critique, analysis)
In a sentence
Nel mondo degli affari la concorrenza è spesso spietata.
In the business world, competition is often cutthroat.
Il critico ha espresso un giudizio davvero spietato sul film.
The critic gave a truly ruthless judgment of the film.
Non era un uomo spietato, ma doveva prendere decisioni difficili.
He was not a ruthless man, but he had to make tough decisions.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| spietato | masculine · singular |
| spietata | feminine · singular |
| spietati | masculine · plural |
| spietate | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Formed with the privative prefix 's-' added to 'pietoso' (merciful).
- Describes both people and abstract things like criticism or market competition.