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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Recent Examples of merciful
The Celtics’ first-round slugfest came to a merciful end Tuesday night at TD Garden.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
To the relief of everybody, weeks of rumors/subterfuge/smokescreens/innuendo come to a merciful end.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
The Nets fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-91 Friday night at Target Center, bringing their 2024-25 road slate to a merciful end.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025
The Church also believes in and supports the efforts of nations to regulate borders and control immigration, provided it is done in a way that is both just and merciful.
—William McCarthy, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
To the relief of everybody, weeks of rumors/subterfuge/smokescreens/innuendo come to a merciful end.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
The Nets fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-91 Friday night at Target Center, bringing their 2024-25 road slate to a merciful end.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025
The Church also believes in and supports the efforts of nations to regulate borders and control immigration, provided it is done in a way that is both just and merciful.
—William McCarthy, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
-
This might include board compositions that balance quarterly oversight with generational strategy, compensation systems that reward long-term value creation, and communication strategies that educate the different stakeholders about the value of patient capital.—
Esade Business & Law School,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
Federal Medicaid law is riddled with provisions governing how states must operate their Medicaid programs, including requirements governing who must be covered, and rules governing patient safety.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
The boys play benevolent Nathan Fielder types helping their friend Karli rehearse an upcoming appearance on the popular social-media show SubwayTakes; the prompts she’s presented with in their VR simulator offer a perfect place to nest jokes.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
26 June 2025
-
Murals across Iran feature his seemingly benevolent white-bearded face.—
Steve Inskeep,
NPR,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
Doctor providing compassionate healthcare consultation while young couple patient holding hand, comfort each other after infertile report.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
-
Empathy enhances your conversations as Mercury aligns with compassionate Neptune.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
But even with these musicians and Boyd’s sympathetic production, the sessions were fraught.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
5 July 2025
-
The president has vacillated in recent months between deporting all individuals who are in the country illegally and being sympathetic to farmers and hospitality executives who rely on such migrant workers for labor.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
For some science, the discoveries will be limited by whatever the sky is gracious enough to give—a star must explode for the Rubin Observatory to spot a new supernova, for example.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
1 July 2025
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Miss Manners is certain that your heartfelt gratitude, in the form of a gracious and appreciative handwritten letter, will be thanks enough.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Dortmund was scheduled for a lunchtime and an afternoon kickoff in Cincinnati during the group stage, where the recorded temperatures approached 100F, while temperatures for the Real Madrid clash in New Jersey were a little kinder but still hot at pitch level.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
6 July 2025
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But use kind humor, not nasty or deprecating humor.—
Davia Temin,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
The kindly matriarch wins over Amélie by feeding her white chocolate, and thus a first human connection is made.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
5 July 2025
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Those with kindly outlooks might believe that people comfy with that kind of damage might not understand its impact.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
With four smart modes (cool, gentle, fast, and style) and magnetic attachments like a diffuser and concentrator, the Zuvi puts you in control.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
5 July 2025
-
Hand wash with gentle soap and cold water, avoiding soaking, and use a mesh bag if machine washing is necessary.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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