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
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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
The temperature climbed as more gas pushed and compressed itself into the small space, and the heat became unmerciful, exacerbated by the syrupy sensation of the increasingly dense atmosphere.
—Rachel Lance, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
What hit viewers, then and now, with the strength of an unmerciful iceberg is how entirely uncynical this movie is.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2022
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
The temperature climbed as more gas pushed and compressed itself into the small space, and the heat became unmerciful, exacerbated by the syrupy sensation of the increasingly dense atmosphere.
—Rachel Lance, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
What hit viewers, then and now, with the strength of an unmerciful iceberg is how entirely uncynical this movie is.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmerciful
Adjective
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But around 50% of students feel that excessive reliance on AI could harm their academic performance, according to research from the Digital Education Council in 2024.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
7 Aug. 2025
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El Financiero also reported that authorities are investigating whether the accident was caused by excessive speed or distracted driving.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And, if hate doesn't come from inside the show itself, Black women are forced to endure online hate from ruthless fans.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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The film takes place in the sweltering heat of a Texas summer in 1974, watching as ruthless prisoner Federico Carrasco takes control of the Huntsville Penitentiary.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The costs of extreme weather, supply chain disruptions, and falling labor productivity are all visible on the horizon, with ample academic research to back them up.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
16 Aug. 2025
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The danger will remain at very high or extreme levels during the weekend and Monday, days when the heatwave affecting us since the beginning of the month continues.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Her fateful decision proves to have great consequences, and Jude tracks her subsequent guilt trip with merciless humanity, echoing Rossellini’s Europa ’51.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
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People often hear the word budget and think of dieting –– punishment, restriction and merciless cost cutting.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Even if a cold spell follows warm weather, if the temperature has already been stabilized at 58 to 60 degrees those same steep banks and dams on the downwind shore are spots to bet on.—
Anthony A. Ciuffa,
Outdoor Life,
7 Aug. 2025
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Failure to comply can carry steep penalties, with fines ranging from thousands to millions of dollars.—
Sagi Eliyahu,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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It is woven not from extravagant ingredients or ornate presentations, but from resourcefulness, memory, and above all, love.—
Sami Tamimi
August 6,
Literary Hub,
6 Aug. 2025
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According to Denver District Attorney, John Walsh $1.3 million of 300 investors’ money went to fund the pastor’s and his wife's extravagant lifestyle which included a home renovation, luxury handbags, cosmetic dentistry and a Range Rover.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The idea that this idiot could just casually walk through a rift in space to get to an infinite closet was just an absurd throwaway gag in the first season.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
15 Aug. 2025
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Making Use of Whole Life Insurance Without Needing Shortcuts As far as the infinite banking concept goes, many families are using policy cash value as a private source of lending.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unmerciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmerciful. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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