as in patient
showing kindness and forgiveness instead of harshness or cruelty especially to someone under one's authority or control
When our English teacher caught us cheating, we prayed he would be merciful in deciding our punishment.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of merciful
Listen to this article PHILADELPHIA — The Nets’ season came to a merciful end with Sunday’s 107-86 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
—
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2024
White, head of the women’s branch of the Pennsylvania SPCA, led the campaign to develop merciful ways of killing strays.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2024
Democrats would look merciful and statesmanlike to undecided voters.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024
God is kind, gracious, merciful, truthful and forgiving.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for merciful 
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2024
White, head of the women’s branch of the Pennsylvania SPCA, led the campaign to develop merciful ways of killing strays.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2024
Democrats would look merciful and statesmanlike to undecided voters.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024
God is kind, gracious, merciful, truthful and forgiving.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
-
In some cases examined by The Marshall Project, doctors and social workers did not review patient medications to find the cause of a positive test.Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Forecasted drug and device performance across patient populations for appropriate treatment and care.Premier Contributor, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Indeed, megalomaniac philanthropy is benevolent narcissism at its best.Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Relatedly, the authors’ assertion that France, Germany, and the United Kingdom will consent to a united foreign policy direction defies logic: great-power peace in Europe is due to an overwhelming Pax Americana, not because its countries have suddenly become benevolent.Sumantra Maitra, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Antwon was known for his sense of humor and kind heart, always lifting others up, while Mariana was an incredible soul—compassionate, driven, and full of dreams for her future.Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
-
He is known for his extraordinary and compassionate delivery of patient care and his volunteerism.The Hill, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Some members of that crowd remain skeptical of Gabbard especially due to her past remarks about the Ukraine war that were sympathetic to Moscow and echoed by Russian state media — which has also praised her selection.Al Weaver, The Hill, 4 Dec. 2024
-
Gabbard has been accused by public officials for voicing an anti-American agenda that hurts American interests, including blaming the U.S. for the war in Ukraine and being sympathetic to U.S. adversaries.Selina Wang, ABC News, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
His acceptance speech was just like him: gracious and humble.AllBusiness, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
-
When it was announced that the Last Splash classic lineup of the Breeders (Kim Deal on rhythm guitar and vocals, twin sister Kelley on lead guitar, Josephine Wiggs on bass, and Jim Macpherson on drums) would be opening select dates in 2024 for Olivia Rodrigo, Deal was both shocked and gracious.Drew Fortune, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Zak Williams is remembering his father Robin Williams' kind and caring spirit.Erin Clack, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
-
Being kind, caring, loyal and helpful also ranked among the top five most important ways to be remembered in the survey.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
In his fourth feature, director Hsiao Ya-Chuan follows the unsentimental education of a motherless 11-year-old boy, Liao Jie (Bai Run-yin), raised in poverty by his kindly father, Liao Tai-lai (Liu Kuan-Ting), a waiter at a busy banqueting hall.Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
-
In 2016 in California, Hindu-nationalist groups claimed that sixth-grade textbooks were biased against Hindus and demanded they be revised to give a kindlier depiction of the caste system, and to downplay the role of patriarchy in India.Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
As Stern’s Instagram posts have shown us, Bud has learned to use his litter box in front of the duo, has begun to accept cat treats from a human hand, and has even been purring in response to some gentle petting.Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
-
The festive season is a time of gratitude, celebration and love, where gentle hearts rejoice in places of unlimited dreams.Fairchild Studio, WWD, 7 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near merciful
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share