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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example 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
If 10 percent of people are going to be cruel no matter what and 10 percent will be merciful no matter what, then the greatest battle of our lives, the real one, is not good versus evil.
—
Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
The Celtics met a merciful end at Madison Square Garden last night, 119-81, and now have a lot to figure out:
Tatum will miss a consequential period in his career.
—Sam Settleman, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Among vocational and merciful acts of service, Pope Francis would wash and kiss the feet of men, women and children, including those of prison inmates, during an annual Holy Thursday ritual.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
The Celtics’ first-round slugfest came to a merciful end Tuesday night at TD Garden.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
The Celtics met a merciful end at Madison Square Garden last night, 119-81, and now have a lot to figure out:
Tatum will miss a consequential period in his career.
—Sam Settleman, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Among vocational and merciful acts of service, Pope Francis would wash and kiss the feet of men, women and children, including those of prison inmates, during an annual Holy Thursday ritual.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
The Celtics’ first-round slugfest came to a merciful end Tuesday night at TD Garden.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
-
If successful, the SCD model being experimented with could serve as a blueprint for other cell and gene therapies that have faced considerable barriers with respect to patient access.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Some 15 years before symptom onset, patient visits to general practice physicians increased, as did visits to any physician for symptoms like fatigue, pain, dizziness and mental health conditions.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Professor Skye, who provides rambling, philosophy-laden meditations on albums that might at first seem out of the wheelhouse of an aging French lecturer, if that benevolent teacher vibe is your thing.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
31 July 2025
-
And its acknowledged leader, the United States, was a remarkably benevolent hegemon.—
STACIE E. GODDARD,
Foreign Affairs,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
Companies like Google and Salesforce offer extensive parental leave programs, recognizing that supporting employees during one of life’s most significant milestones is not only compassionate but smart business.—
Will Fan,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
That means unlearning the language that perpetuates harm and stereotypes, and being more compassionate and humane across the board.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Following that and other bruising political fights, Council President Mitra Jalali — who was mostly seen as sympathetic to the mayor — resigned in March.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
25 July 2025
-
As for Tretter, Ferguson was more sympathetic despite whispers that the former Cleveland Browns guard from Akron Central High might have manipulated Howell’s rise to the NFLPA throne in exchange for a leadership role himself.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
The man was gifted, gracious, often generous and seldom mean-spirited.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
10 July 2025
-
But goodness gracious, the Rockies are only (14-36) under Schaeffer after going 7-33 under Black.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Over the course of two seasons, the writing of the show and the actress performing the role turned the Grim Reaper into more of a caregiver who guides human souls to the beyond with a kind smile and empathic warmth.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
31 July 2025
-
But Lana was her own person: an actor, a comedian, beloved by her family and friends, a kind, talented woman who volunteered weekly for the AIDS charity Project Angel Food during the 80s, a time when many people would barely say the word AIDS aloud.—
Meg Pillow
July 31,
Literary Hub,
31 July 2025
Adjective
-
Isla Baker, 14, of Downers Grove, plays Mrs. Dashwood, the kindly mother of the girls, and two other characters.—
Hank Beckman,
Chicago Tribune,
15 July 2025
-
Those with kindly outlooks might believe that people comfy with that kind of damage might not understand its impact.—
Pat Beall,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
The water here is always a steady, crisp 70 to 75 degrees, and has a gentle current that gives the water incredible clarity.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
29 July 2025
-
Stefan, a vampire too gentle to drink human blood, eventually loses Elena to his brother, Damon, the cruel killer with a tender side just for her.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share