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 Gospel's beatitudes—blessed are the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers—stand in stark opposition to the movement's rhetoric of anger and grievance.
—
Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
The miserable 2024-25 New York Giants season came to a merciful end with a 20-13 loss to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
—Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
And the Bills routed the Jets, 40-14, to inch New York one game closer to a merciful end for a miserable season.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
In truth, the scoreline was merciful on City.
—Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
The miserable 2024-25 New York Giants season came to a merciful end with a 20-13 loss to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
—Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
And the Bills routed the Jets, 40-14, to inch New York one game closer to a merciful end for a miserable season.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
In truth, the scoreline was merciful on City.
—Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
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These tasks obviously require patient interaction, customization and hands-on adjustments that AI cannot fully automate.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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But Stewart, who reviewed patient files and testimony from mental health professionals and spoke with staff and people in custody, found such efforts were falling short.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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This allowed people to keep believing in a fundamentally benevolent government despite their experiences.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
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There is, equally, a certain childish hope that Vuong’s reader will approach him with the benevolent incomprehension of a maternal figure.—
Andrea Long Chu,
Vulture,
6 May 2025
Adjective
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For 55 years, the characters of Sesame Street have taught us how to count, how to read — and as importantly, how to be kind, empathic and compassionate.—
Afdhel Aziz,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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Here’s to more humane, efficient and compassionate processes in the future crafted by politicians on both sides of the aisle.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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On social media, where content creators have been dissecting the case, some commenters have been distressingly sympathetic to Diddy’s defense.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
17 May 2025
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There’s not a single sympathetic White character in the film.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Perry was also quite gracious when another fan in the crowd handed her an album to sign.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
14 May 2025
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And yet when people need a portal into or proxy for spiritual awakening, Alice Coltrane’s music often becomes integral, a newfound household name, because her staggered textures are gracious enough to accommodate both the ascetic and the philistine.—
Harmony Holiday,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Paige makes the astute observation that Craig and Kyle are similar and need to be prodded along with kind words and attention with everything that happens.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
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If the fates are kind, the Avs have learned at least two things from the sheer agony of the past weekend.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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Eventually, Billy tries to warn the foster care headquarters, managed by a kindly woman named Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton), that Laura is trying to sabotage Billy.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 May 2025
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The cast includes Stephen Merchant as the voice of the mouse, Kristen Wiig as a scenery-chewing evil aunt, and Jim Broadbent as a kindly but clueless king.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Including Marcelo and his kid, all three of the film’s rival factions are father-son teams, a choice that highlights Filho’s gentle emphasis on the relationship between lineage and identity — and the defiant notion that history is as hard to erase as DNA.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
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The story is like a gentle hug, wrapping you up in a sense of comfort and contentment.—
American Booksellers Association,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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