as in murder
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.
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Recent Examples of mercy killing
Too much damage has been done to the character in recent years, to the point that any death would be seen as a mercy killing now.
—
Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 6 May 2026
For the rest of us, sudden death felt like a mercy killing.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Kelson teaches Spike how to grow beyond his parents, giving Isla a mercy killing and allowing Spike to place her skull on the top of the structure.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
While this was a funeral rite for some in the Roman period, the researchers think the man was decapitated as a mercy killing after the lion bite.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
If the mercy killing wasn’t a big enough of a twist, the introduction of three outsiders who stumble upon the girls’ cannibalistic feast will do it.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
More secrets emerge, Chappelle says there’s no time to explain, even mercy killing the dog.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 19 Jan. 2025
DJ Anne Harris is largely focused on mercy killing her relationship with Siobhan for Siobhan’s own good.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 May 2021
The doctor carried out the mercy killing with her family’s consent and support.
—Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2019
Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 6 May 2026
For the rest of us, sudden death felt like a mercy killing.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Kelson teaches Spike how to grow beyond his parents, giving Isla a mercy killing and allowing Spike to place her skull on the top of the structure.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
While this was a funeral rite for some in the Roman period, the researchers think the man was decapitated as a mercy killing after the lion bite.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
If the mercy killing wasn’t a big enough of a twist, the introduction of three outsiders who stumble upon the girls’ cannibalistic feast will do it.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
More secrets emerge, Chappelle says there’s no time to explain, even mercy killing the dog.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 19 Jan. 2025
DJ Anne Harris is largely focused on mercy killing her relationship with Siobhan for Siobhan’s own good.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 May 2021
The doctor carried out the mercy killing with her family’s consent and support.
—Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercy killing
Noun
-
The cruel cartoon of a constantly shrewish, venal, and disloyal Mary began cementing itself in the public mind when William Herndon, Lincoln’s Springfield law partner, started lecturing about his reminiscences within months of the President’s murder.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Last week, the South Carolina Supreme Court delivered an account of how Hill’s conduct during the 2023 double-murder trial crossed ethical and constitutional lines, ultimately unraveling the state’s conviction of Murdaugh.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The arrest was made in coordination with the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD), which holds an arrest warrant for charges related to a 1986 homicide in Virginia Beach, Newington police said in a media release.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
20 May 2026
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Authorities said the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office later concluded that homicide could not be ruled out in Bravo’s death.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
This article includes graphic and disturbing accounts from the October 7 massacre in Israel.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
-
But 2026 has marked a new nadir for one of the world’s oldest civilizations, with the government’s massacre of anti-regime protestors in January and widespread destruction from the United States’ and Israel’s intermittent war.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
As the family's struggle unfolded, Castillo’s case was closely followed in Spain, which passed legislation in 2021 enshrining the right to euthanasia and medically assisted suicide for patients meeting certain conditions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
OpenAI and the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, were named as defendants in several lawsuits that allege negligence, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, wrongful death, and other product liability claims.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mercy killing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercy%20killing. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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