What it means
بیرحم (bi-rahm) means merciless, cruel, or ruthless. It is a compound of two elements: the native Persian prefix بی (bi, without) and the Arabic noun رحم (rahm, mercy or compassion), drawn from the Arabic root ر-ح-م. The combination is one of many bi- compounds in Persian that pair a Persian negative prefix with an Arabic stem. A close synonym is سنگدل (sangdel, hard-hearted), though بیرحم is stronger and more explicitly about the absence of mercy. The noun form is بیرحمی (bi-rahmi, cruelty).
How to use it
- اون آدم بیرحمه، هیچوقت به کسی رحم نمیکنه. (un âdam bi-rahme, hichevaght be kasi rahm nemikone.) “That person is merciless, they never show pity to anyone.”
- با بیرحمی باهاش رفتار کردن. (bâ bi-rahmi bâhâsh raftâr kardan.) “They treated him with cruelty.”
- این سیستم خیلی بیرحمه. (in sistem kheyli bi-rahme.) “This system is very ruthless.”
- بیرحم نباش، حداقل یه شانس بهش بده. (bi-rahm nabâsh, hadaqal ye shâns behesh bede.) “Don’t be cruel, at least give him one chance.”
Cultural note
The Arabic root ر-ح-م (r-h-m) carries deep religious weight in Persian-speaking cultures. The word رحم (rahm) and the divine name الرحیم (al-Rahim, the Merciful) come from the same root, so calling someone بیرحم implies not just personal cruelty but a kind of spiritual deficiency. The word appears in classical Persian poetry, Quranic commentary, and everyday conversation with equal ease, and it tends to carry heavier moral weight than more colloquial insults like دورو or لوس.