different between woeful vs ruthful

English

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) woful, wofull

Etymology

From Middle English woful, waful, equivalent to woe +? -ful. Compare Old English w?l?? (“woeful”), Old English t?onful (“woeful”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?w??f?l/

Adjective

woeful (comparative woefuller, superlative woefullest)

1. Full of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity.

   • How many woeful widows left to bow / To sad disgrace!

2. Bringing calamity, distress, or affliction.

   a woeful event

   a woeful lack of restraint

3. Lamentable, deplorable.
4. Wretched; paltry; poor.

Derived terms

• woefully
• woefulness

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:lamentable

English

Etymology

From Middle English reuþful, reuthful, reowthful, equivalent to ruth +? -ful.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /??u??.f?l/

Adjective

ruthful (comparative more ruthful, superlative most ruthful)

1. Full of sorrow; sorrowful; woeful; rueful.
2. Causing pity; piteous.
   • c. 1588-1593, William Shakespeare, The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus, Act 5, Scene 1,

     An if it please thee! why, assure thee, Lucius, / 'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak; / For I must talk of murders, rapes, and massacres, / Acts of black night, abominable deeds, / Complots of mischief, treason, villainies, / Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd:
3. Full of ruth or pity; merciful; compassionate.
   • 1898, Richard Francis Burton (translator), The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 7,

     Then he bestowed robes of honour on the nurses wet and dry and said to them, "Be ye ruthful over them and rear them after the goodliest fashion."

Usage notes

• (causing pity): Unlike the other senses, which describe the person acting or the motivation behind an act, this sense is used to describe the effect of an action or circumstance. Thus, it is easily confused with the complementary term ruthless: a ruthless person (one lacking pity) may perform acts or bring about circumstances which are ruthful (cause or induce feelings of pity).

Synonyms

• (full of ruth): compassionate, merciful

Antonyms

• (full of ruth): ruthless

Derived terms

• ruthfully
• ruthfulness

Related terms

• ruth

Translations

Anagrams

• hurtful