unmerciful

adjective

un·​mer·​ci·​ful ˌən-ˈmər-si-fəl 

1

: not merciful : merciless

2

: excessive, extreme

chatted for an unmerciful length of time

unmercifully

ˌən-ˈmər-si-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• baroque
• devilish
• excessive
• exorbitant
• extravagant
• extreme
• fancy
• immoderate
• inordinate
• insane
• intolerable
• lavish
• overdue
• overextravagant
• overmuch
• overweening
• plethoric
• steep
• stiff
• towering
• unconscionable
• undue

Examples of unmerciful in a Sentence

she went into an unmerciful level of detail about her latest health problems

the critics were unmerciful in their assessments of the young actress's performance

Recent Examples on the Web

The drought is a source of mockery towards RCB, with opposition fans unmerciful in their scorn towards them and particularly Kohli. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

Yet viewers admire Oz’s aptitude to survive, his unmerciful resolve. —Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024

His take on Prince Philip is both humanizing and unmerciful, cutting to the bone of a man portrayed in contradictory terms — petulant yet statesmanlike, intensely ambitious yet ineffectual, relatable one minute and contemptible the next. —Will Harris, EW.com, 30 July 2024

The temperature climbed as more gas pushed and compressed itself into the small space, and the heat became unmerciful, exacerbated by the syrupy sensation of the increasingly dense atmosphere. —Rachel Lance, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024

In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total. —Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023

What hit viewers, then and now, with the strength of an unmerciful iceberg is how entirely uncynical this movie is. —Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2022

How have Willis and Kastor excelled for 20 years and more in that unmerciful context? —Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2021

Trying to end an unmerciful beating, Astudillo haplessly threw three pitches to Mercedes that were all called balls (and that averaged about 45 mph). —Scott Jennings, CNN, 20 May 2021

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unmerciful

• merciful

Kids Definition

unmerciful

adjective

un·​mer·​ci·​ful ˌən-ˈmər-si-fəl 

ˈən-

: not merciful : merciless, cruel

unmercifully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb