MERCIFUL Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

merciful

adjective

Definition of merciful

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.

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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 As the sun began to peek over the hillside, offering a merciful burst of warmth, Alonso Abugattas called this year’s Trillium Trek to order. — Ashley Stimpson, Washington Post, 11 May 2026 Would a just and merciful God approve of what is happening? — Kenneth Seeskin, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026 Would Homelander be merciful and spare just this one? — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026 Ever since Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in January, the only reprieve from this slog of a campaign has been the promise of a swift, merciful end. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for merciful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful

Adjective

Seventy years of patient investment in exchanges have produced an alumni network no other country can match.

— James K. Glassman, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
The Charlotte native was humble and patient, his coach previously told the Observer, and in 2013 became an All-American defensive lineman at JCSU — a title the school hadn’t seen since 2008.

— Julia Coin August 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of patient

Adjective

In Chinese mythology, for example, dragons are revered as powerful, benevolent beings associated with rain, rivers, and fertility.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
His single mom, Laura, got by with assistance from the local church and benevolent relatives, including one who bought Warner football cleats.

— Dan Pompei, New York Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of benevolent

Adjective

Leaders can be compassionate toward others through leadership and practicing openness, yet their presence will be tense or distant, constantly watching themselves.

— Gregory Stebbins, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Rose said the company was compassionate and did an amazing job.

— Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of compassionate

Adjective

Beyond the food and drink, the gracious impresario also credits Mille Fleurs’ longevity to consistency.

— Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
This gracious grand dame has possibly the best possible address in all of Stockholm, overlooking Strökajen Harbor in the city’s Norrmalm district, a short walk from the Royal Palace and the Old Town.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of gracious

Adjective

Jean is ultimately revealed to be a sympathetic character in search of her sister, Sara Grey (Olivia Booth-Ford), who has been captured by the government organization Damage Control in order to exploit her psychic powers.

— Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
And Aparna Nancherla warms up the ice-cold cast of characters as Matt and Jake’s sympathetic but powerless buddy in HR.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of sympathetic

Adjective

Say the kind thing, ask the real question, and let connection grow through simple effort instead of silent hoping today.

— Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
In these moments and others, HOTD has sometimes espoused a form of gender essentialism that suggests Rhaenyra and Alicent are both inherently kinder and better than the men around them.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of kind

Adjective

Charlotte Stewart’s bold gambit was rewarded with a four-season run as the kindly schoolteacher Eva Beadle-Simms.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026
Even the kindly Florida manatee, connoisseur of bayou seagrass, sometimes flies into a carnivorous rage, snapping up fish and gnashing them in its terrible teeth.

— David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026

Definition of kindly

Adjective

Regular use of a gentle, balanced cleaner will restore clarity to the surface and allow your floors’ natural beauty to shine through.

— Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 8 Aug. 2026
With an ecosystem as capricious as this, the local wildlife is born and bred to go with the flow—think gentle-but-giant humpback whales, colonies of industrious beavers, and torpedoing peregrine falcons, the fastest animals on Earth.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of gentle

Browse Nearby Words

mercies

merciful

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Style

“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of merciful

adjective

Example Sentences

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