1
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
she went into an unmerciful level of detail about her latest health problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
the critics were unmerciful in their assessments of the young actress's performance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unmerciful
By that time, the internet blew up over Parker and Stone’s unmerciful comedic mockery of Trump.
—
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
The result was unmerciful but gloriously funny, especially when Christine Baranski‘s liberal Diane Lockhart hallucinated news reports about Trump keeping a potbellied pig in the White House map room.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 20 May 2025
The drought is a source of mockery towards RCB, with opposition fans unmerciful in their scorn towards them and particularly Kohli.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Yet viewers admire Oz’s aptitude to survive, his unmerciful resolve.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024
His take on Prince Philip is both humanizing and unmerciful, cutting to the bone of a man portrayed in contradictory terms — petulant yet statesmanlike, intensely ambitious yet ineffectual, relatable one minute and contemptible the next.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 30 July 2024
In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
The result was unmerciful but gloriously funny, especially when Christine Baranski‘s liberal Diane Lockhart hallucinated news reports about Trump keeping a potbellied pig in the White House map room.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 20 May 2025
The drought is a source of mockery towards RCB, with opposition fans unmerciful in their scorn towards them and particularly Kohli.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Yet viewers admire Oz’s aptitude to survive, his unmerciful resolve.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024
His take on Prince Philip is both humanizing and unmerciful, cutting to the bone of a man portrayed in contradictory terms — petulant yet statesmanlike, intensely ambitious yet ineffectual, relatable one minute and contemptible the next.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 30 July 2024
In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmerciful
Adjective
-
The reports obtained by The Post show a barrage of complaints from youth that staff used excessive force during restraints or other physical management responses at the state’s 14 facilities.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
-
With extended heat exposure comes excessive sweat, so drinking plenty of fluids with electrolytes the day before is essential for safe sauna use.—
Essence,
Essence,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Governed by Saturn, this Earth sign is known for its ruthless ambition and long-term visions, making this lunar phase all the more stern and no-nonsense.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
-
In another example of a ruthless campaign to crush dissent, Cuban authorities sentenced the wife of a Cuban political prisoner to 14 years in prison for charges of acting against state security, for which she had been previously acquitted due to lack of evidence.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
However, these are very extreme cases.—
Kristine Thomason,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The warming temperatures have been linked to greater rain in hurricanes, longer droughts and more extreme rainfall events around the globe.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In the present day, Lockjaw reenters Bob and Willa’s lives with merciless force, deploying troops from his immigration taskforce on Baktan Cross, the sanctuary city where Bob and Willa have been laying low in the 16 years since Pat became Bob and baby Charlene, Willa, as the two went on the lam.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Ana, a rebellious 19-year-old from Barcelona, is sent by her wealthy father to a Patronato facility overseen by the merciless Sister Socorro.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The first game famously took thirst-trap renditions of the Greek pantheon and imbued each figure with an insane amount of charm.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Starting the competition off with a bang with the cape and then moving right into killing the athleisure [challenge] was just insane.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Topography also plays a role, as steep canyons, mountains and dry washes are susceptible to floods.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
25 Sep. 2025
-
In going dark, the gallery joins a slew of others that have shuttered in New York and Los Angeles in recent months as the art economy reckons with shifting tastes and buying patterns, steep US tariffs, and global financial, political, and social instability.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The makeup and musical artist has yet to reveal if someone else helped formulate the extravagant hairdo.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Turn up the drama by adding feathers to your outfit, or even an extravagant, dazzling head piece.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The result led Brittenham and Hermiller to an infinite list of other counterexamples, including almost any knot that’s built by winding two strings and gluing.—
Leila Sloman,
Quanta Magazine,
22 Sep. 2025
-
We’re headed toward the infinite conversation.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unmerciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmerciful. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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