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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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
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The thunderstorms could also bring excessive rainfall in northern Arkansas, southern Missouri and southern Illinois, bringing a risk of flash flooding, the weather service said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
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There are risks of severe thunderstorms and excessive rainfall on Saturday from the Ozarks into the mid-Mississippi River Valley with potential for damaging winds, large hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Zimmer also received an Emmy nod for her portrayal of ruthless executive Quinn King on Unreal (2015–2018).—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
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And in short stories and doorstops, her attention is ruthless and unflinching.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Operating at the extreme fringes is also an effective strategy for maximizing exposure in the algorithm, which explains why popular influencers such as the Nelk Boys and Jake Paul started their YouTube careers as prank peddlers, before leaning into more overtly political content.—
T. M. Brown,
New Yorker,
15 Oct. 2025
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Caving—which is the more extreme cousin to spelunking—is physically and mentally challenging but also adrenaline fueled and just plain fun, too.—
Heide Brandes,
AFAR Media,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Chat members were merciless in their rhetoric against fellow Young Republicans in competing factions of the organization.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Next is 4-2 Mississippi State at home, the closest thing to a reprieve left on this merciless schedule.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The outpouring of people on social media was insane.—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The trailer teases spicy fights, insane games, and twists.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Of course, this is an extremely limited release and the price that commands a steep price.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
16 Oct. 2025
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Bunch says ridership stayed stable at a time when most cities saw steep drops.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Critics said Trump had pushed for the extravagant parade not to commemorate the armed forces, but as a display of his own vanity.—
NPR,
NPR,
19 Oct. 2025
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While some may view it as extravagant goods and high-end services, others see it as occasional splurges, unique experiences and good health.—
Maddie McGay,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The principle is that demand is infinite.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Weightless, effortless, infinite movement.—
SJ Studio,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unmerciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmerciful. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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