as in murders
the act of ending the life of someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any further suffering
Some called her death a mercy killing.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercy killings
Noun
-
Their son Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested later that evening for their murders.
-
Maurice Pierce was then wired up and sent to speak with Welborn, but investigators ultimately determined that Welborn and the others knew nothing about the murders, and no charges were filed at that time.
Noun
-
Six homicides have been reported in Stockton this month, including three killings over a three-day span.
-
Statistics presented by Deputy Chief Doug Niemeier showed that homicides remain down 21 percent compared to the same point last year, but noted that June has seen an uptick in violence.
Noun
-
The lands historically now known as Ukraine were occupied by the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth for centuries, and many Ukrainians view their nation’s genesis as the rebellion of Cossack Hetman Boghdan Khmelnitsky against the commonwealth, an event characterized by massacres of Poles and Jews.
-
Tens of thousands of Sudanese civilians were killed by the RSF in massacres after the capture of the Sudanese city of El Fasher alone last year.
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Mercy killings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercy%20killings. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
