as in ruthlessly
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Recent Examples of mercilessly
At his previous school, he was mercilessly bullied.
—
Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
When these middlemen resisted British pressure, Britain protected its commercial interests mercilessly and violently.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Over the next two years, Chris filmed the mosquitoes circling the Styrofoam dummies mercilessly.
—David Hu, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2026
When Lindsay was on heroin, Raúl and the demons knocked him over and mercilessly kicked him in the ribs.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
As this year’s awards season has marched mercilessly onward, one of the biggest questions hinged on which film would walk away with Best Picture.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2026
The New York Knicks hacked Wilt Chamberlain mercilessly in the end, trying to get the notoriously bad free-throw shooter to make foul shots.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
His father was the warden there, and Dominique was teased for it mercilessly at school.
—Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
Madrid are actually owned by 80,000 members who demand the highest standards — and are surrounded by a voracious local media who mercilessly criticise anyone who even temporarily falls short.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
When these middlemen resisted British pressure, Britain protected its commercial interests mercilessly and violently.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Over the next two years, Chris filmed the mosquitoes circling the Styrofoam dummies mercilessly.
—David Hu, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2026
When Lindsay was on heroin, Raúl and the demons knocked him over and mercilessly kicked him in the ribs.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
As this year’s awards season has marched mercilessly onward, one of the biggest questions hinged on which film would walk away with Best Picture.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2026
The New York Knicks hacked Wilt Chamberlain mercilessly in the end, trying to get the notoriously bad free-throw shooter to make foul shots.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
His father was the warden there, and Dominique was teased for it mercilessly at school.
—Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
Madrid are actually owned by 80,000 members who demand the highest standards — and are surrounded by a voracious local media who mercilessly criticise anyone who even temporarily falls short.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercilessly
Adverb
-
What does ruthlessly cloning the same mouse tell us about our biology?—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The Anabaptists were a radical nonconformist sect that took the egalitarian, pacifist, and renunciatory injunctions of the Bible seriously and tried to organize communal living, before being ruthlessly persecuted by the authorities and other Protestant sects.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Now my son is dead after suffering unmercifully.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The first hour, set at a resort that’s like a singles cruise through the Twilight Zone (or Bachelor in Paradise beamed in from a brutal alternate universe), contains some of the most pitilessly funny scenes of the filmmaker’s career.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
There is a troubling suggestion of abuse, implying that Jack might have been ill-treated by his mom (and saved by Helen), rather than heartlessly abandoned.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
14 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Marley’s level of fame and influence meant that, after his death at 36, his legacy, his spirit, his brand was to be shaped by a record industry that could be callously indifferent to truth or quality at the expense of revenue.—
Eric Harvey,
Pitchfork,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Some industry representatives ahead of the meeting expressed worry that attending risked casting them as willing participants in a callously opportunistic grab for Venezuela’s crude, people familiar with the matter said.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Kahlo vibrantly and unsparingly depicted herself and events from her life, which was upended by a bus accident at 18.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Nov. 2025
-
Kahlo vibrantly and unsparingly depicted herself and events from her life, which was upended by a bus accident at 18.—
Hannah Schoenbaum,
Fortune,
24 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
When four of its members (Ogoni chiefs — one of whom was my mother’s brother-in-law) were brutally killed by restive Ogoni youths, the government arrested my father and eight of his colleagues.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Today, the self-congratulation of white liberals has been displaced by white-supremacist promoters of Western civilization who don’t merely posit but brutally enforce inequality between races, peoples, cultures, and nation-states.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Building Alligator Alcatraz and being proud of treating people inhumanely while at the same time stealing money for his charity is disgusting.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The oversight tour came after activists alleged detainees were being treated inhumanely at the facility.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mercilessly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercilessly. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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