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
May he be received into the merciful arms of our loving Savior who suffered and died for Charlie.
—
Amanda Castro
gabe Whisnant
anna Commander
toby Meyjes
shane Croucher
john Feng
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Founded in the mid-19th century as a grocery store in Greenwich Village, the bar retains a patina of its early years—the dim interior, wood walls, the merciful lack of thunka-thunk music.
—Harrison Hill, AFAR Media, 19 Aug. 2025
Basically a reboot after the last World trilogy with Chris Pratt came to a merciful conclusion, Rebirth stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend, but, of course, the real stars are the dinosaurs.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Not only did the team put an offensive moniker that shall remain nameless in this space in its past, but Snyder's sad and disturbing reign as owner finally came to a merciful end.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Amanda Castro
gabe Whisnant
anna Commander
toby Meyjes
shane Croucher
john Feng
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Founded in the mid-19th century as a grocery store in Greenwich Village, the bar retains a patina of its early years—the dim interior, wood walls, the merciful lack of thunka-thunk music.
—Harrison Hill, AFAR Media, 19 Aug. 2025
Basically a reboot after the last World trilogy with Chris Pratt came to a merciful conclusion, Rebirth stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend, but, of course, the real stars are the dinosaurs.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Not only did the team put an offensive moniker that shall remain nameless in this space in its past, but Snyder's sad and disturbing reign as owner finally came to a merciful end.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
-
The investigation has resulted in Wallace being charged with concealment of death from unnatural causes, patient abuse and neglect and felony assault of an individual with disabilities, police said.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Nov. 2025
-
His focus was on treating her as an individual and patient, not as a statistic.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
And while All’s Fair could have won us over to its cause had the cases been more benevolent or moral, the women’s work so far similarly lacks depth.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
-
America appears to be, at the moment, in a sort of benevolent hostage situation.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The program aims to teach kids to be compassionate, accountable, respectful, ethical and service-minded in order to foster a positive and inclusive school community.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Abigail Marsh, a psychology and neuroscience professor at Georgetown University, says that despite appearances, people are becoming more compassionate.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
After the initial encounter, sending a brief email or text is both gracious and strategic.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Our recipe hails from Mary Ada Marshall, a resident of Smith Island, who was gracious enough to share her recipe.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito signaled views mostly sympathetic to the president.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Lennon, who grew up in a fractured home with little connection to global politics, is sympathetic when the Irish Liberation Army gets in touch and wants to plan concert tours that will raise bail money for their members.—
Whitney Friedlander,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In the past, things had been worked out regarding Billy Gunn appearing at the WWE Hall Of Fame, Bryan Danielson giving kind words in a John Cena tribute show, and Chris Jericho appearing on Steve Austin’s podcast on the WWE Network.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Spirited, political, and deeply kind individuals, the Christos were passionately devoted to their artistic vision.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
He was thrown from the helicopter into a rainforest, became amnesiac, and was nursed back to health by some kindly locals?—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
-
How can a kindly, God-fearing, and ascetic novice monk compete against that?—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This can support the aircraft’s weight, allowing a gentle descent with the wings level.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
-
And so, shortly after his startling, spirit-lifting victory in the primary last spring, the gentle flood of inquiries commenced.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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