1
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
she went into an unmerciful level of detail about her latest health problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
the critics were unmerciful in their assessments of the young actress's performance
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Recent Examples of unmerciful
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
Reaction to the couple's decision was swift and unmerciful.
—Danielle Campoamor, refinery29.com, 7 May 2021
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
Reaction to the couple's decision was swift and unmerciful.
—Danielle Campoamor, refinery29.com, 7 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmerciful
Adjective
-
Build For Future Scalability And Adaptability With an enterprise-wide architecture, systems can be designed for flexibility, allowing business units to integrate, expand or evolve their solutions without excessive rework.—
Balvinder Singh Banjardar,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Summary Hemophilia disease prevents blood from clotting, which can cause excessive bleeding.—
Christopher Bergland,
Verywell Health,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Whoever sells the most wins a car; whoever sells the least is out of a job – a ruthless environment where each character will do anything to come out on top.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Mar. 2025
-
However, his plans to go straight are threatened when his final heist spirals out of control, pulling him into a deadly game of survival against ruthless criminals—including the unhinged Bats (Jamie Foxx) and the wild coupling of Buddy (Jon Hamm) and Darling (Eiza González).—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
While the Midwest and the South are bracing for possible severe storms Friday and Saturday, on Thursday there was a critical risk of fire in Texas and other parts of the Great Plains — and the extreme danger will continue into the weekend.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC News,
14 Mar. 2025
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Just one-eightieth of the resulting savings, or $324 billion, could eradicate global extreme poverty.—
David Vetter,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Back then, residents of the burgeoning Los Angeles area had no idea a merciless killer was lurking in their midst until Feb. 2, 1928, when the headless, naked body of a teenage boy was found in a ditch on a dusty road near the sleepy suburb of La Puente.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The draft being held in Pittsburgh meant the Flyers were subject to merciless booing.—
Joshua Kloke,
The Athletic,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Your voice is insane.—
Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com,
al,
4 Apr. 2023
-
But obviously winning the grand jury prize was insane.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
31 Mar. 2023
Adjective
-
Online education officers respond that their programs face steep startup costs and need expensive technology specialists and infrastructure.—
Jon Marcus,
NPR,
15 Mar. 2025
-
But shortly into his second term in office, the polls signal frustration over steep losses in the stock market and a potential trade war with some of America’s closest allies.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
While Gaudí’s extravagant creations, in particular, are perhaps too spectacular to miss, there is much beauty and history elsewhere in this millennia-old city.—
Coke Bartrina,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The sequel takes audiences from the idyllic suburbs of Connecticut to the glamorous backdrop of the Italian Riviera, where an extravagant wedding unravels into a murder mystery.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The time to get all of these people together, on camera, to discuss all things Rocky and share their stories is not infinite and, as a result, fans will find plenty to cherish in Strange Journey.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
11 Mar. 2025
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The dress presents as a uniform that was subject to an infinite variety of designs and in which Furstenberg could express whatever inspired her, from tree branches to works by Warhol and Dali.—
Tom Teicholz,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unmerciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmerciful. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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