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
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
Guthrie and her siblings recorded videos, pleading for news, for help, for a merciful change of heart from whoever had absconded with their mom.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
Despite his impassive eyes, balding pate, and slit of a smile, Robert Duvall could be volcanic and melancholic, mysterious and straightforward, vengeful and merciful.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for merciful
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
Guthrie and her siblings recorded videos, pleading for news, for help, for a merciful change of heart from whoever had absconded with their mom.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
Despite his impassive eyes, balding pate, and slit of a smile, Robert Duvall could be volcanic and melancholic, mysterious and straightforward, vengeful and merciful.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
-
In fact, product liability lawsuits alleging patient injuries have been filed overwhelmingly against pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, which manufacture name-brand weight loss drugs, court data shows.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
-
That proximity to the patient experience is not just a moral argument.—
Christine Schuster,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
For Egyptians, crops would not grow without Horus and his benevolent eye shining down between the clouds.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
-
The overflow doctor had benevolent eyes and doughy cheeks, like fresh loaves of bread.—
Nami Mun,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Private feelings bump into plans as compassionate Venus moves through your 12th House of Solitude and squares structured Saturn in your 9th House of Higher Learning.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
-
Vegan eating offers a practical, compassionate way forward that is better for animals, and better for the planet and public health.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Branham recalled how raucous the crowd was and how gracious Busch was interacting with fans.—
Zach Powell,
New York Times,
23 May 2026
-
There’s an art to being a gracious guest.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Once considered the definitive Monroe biography, Spoto’s thorough tome has been criticized for sometimes-unclear sourcing and being overly sympathetic.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
1 June 2026
-
The base is narrow, the lifespan is limited, the cause is sympathetic.—
Daniel Bunn,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
August 23 – September 22 Stronger networks grow from clear, kind limits.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
-
The weather in particular has not been kind to American farmers, who have endured outbursts of record-breaking heat, historic cold, ping-pong size hail and wildfires.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Since 1980, her partner had been the kindly, worshipful Dutch actor Robert Wolders, whom Ferrer likens to a gentlemanly doormat.—
Hadley Hall Meares,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
-
The economist’s description of the Fed chair was admiring, almost tender— comparing him to a kindly gardener who knew just how much sunlight to bestow upon the plants, or to a father figure who could keep his profligate and dissolute children on the right path.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
This use of the collective is different from The Daughter Industry in that the demand on it is less gentle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
Instead, Pagano and Dozier suggest having gentle, boundary-setting conversations that might encourage a loved one to address their hoarding habits.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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