mercy

noun

mer·​cy ˈmər-sē 

plural mercies

1

a

: compassion, leniency, or restraint (as in imposing punishment) shown especially to an offender or to one subject to the power of another

showed her enemies no mercy

The boss took mercy on us and let us go home early.

The prisoner threw himself on the mercy of the court. [=begged the court to show him mercy]

also : lenient or compassionate treatment

begged for mercy

b

: imprisonment rather than death imposed as penalty for first-degree murder

Prosecutors cannot … argue that the jurors may not lawfully grant a defendant mercy by imposing a life sentence.

—State v. Deck, 994 SW 2d 527 (1999)

2

a

: a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion

May God have mercy on us.

b

: a fortunate circumstance

It was a mercy that the building was empty when the fire started.

We should be grateful/thankful for small mercies. [=grateful that things are not worse than they are]

3

: compassionate treatment of those in distress

an act of mercy

works of mercy among the poor

4

old-fashioned, informal

—used as an interjection to indicate surprise

Mercy me! That wind is cold.

I'm not hungry, but mercy, that food smells good.

mercy adjective

Phrases

at the mercy of

: wholly in the power of : with no way to protect oneself against

We were at the mercy of the weather.

to the mercy of

: without any protection from

He had to leave his boat to the mercy of the storm.

Synonyms of mercy

• mercifulness
• empathy
• compassion
• leniency
• kindness
• sympathy
• grace

Choose the Right Synonym for mercy

mercy, charity, clemency, grace, leniency mean a disposition to show kindness or compassion.

mercy implies compassion that forbears punishing even when justice demands it.

threw himself on the mercy of the court

charity stresses benevolence and goodwill shown in broad understanding and tolerance of others.

show a little charity for the less fortunate

clemency implies a mild or merciful disposition in one having the power or duty of punishing.

the judge refused to show clemency

grace implies a benign attitude and a willingness to grant favors or make concessions.

by the grace of God

leniency implies lack of severity in punishing.

criticized the courts for excessive leniency

Examples of mercy in a Sentence

He is a vicious criminal who deserves no mercy.

She fell to her knees and asked for mercy.

They came on a mission of mercy to provide food and medical care for starving children.

It's a mercy that the building was empty when the fire started.

Thank heaven for small mercies.

Recent Examples on the Web

And they're being ignored in their plea for mercy. —NPR, 11 Nov. 2025

The grazing of a bullet seemingly could only be explained by God’s mercy and provision. —Abby McCloskey, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025

At the mercy of someone’s projections? —Usa Today, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

Even though the official Survivor 49 pre-merge emoji might be a big fat yawn (or, perhaps a chicken screaming for mercy), there are signs that Probst did not even need to give his pre-challenge pep talk. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French merci, from Medieval Latin merced-, merces, from Latin, price paid, wages, from merc-, merx merchandise

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing mercy

• at someone's or something's mercy
• have mercy/pity
• mercy killing
• mission of mercy
• no mercy
• of mercy
• show no mercy
• take mercy on
• threw himself on the mercy of
• throw oneself on the mercy of (someone)
• took mercy on

Rhymes for mercy

• circe
• kersey
• controversy
• gramercy

Kids Definition

mercy

noun

mer·​cy ˈmər-sē 

plural mercies

1

a

: kind and gentle treatment of someone (as a wrongdoer or opponent) having no right to it

b

: a disposition to show mercy

2

a

: a blessing as an act of divine love

the mercies of God

b

: a fortunate happening

it's a mercy the weather cooled off

3

: kindness shown to victims of misfortune

works of mercy among the poor

Etymology

Middle English merci, mercy "mercy," from early French merci, mercit (same meaning), from Latin merces "price paid for something, wages, reward"

Word Origin

To the ancient Romans, the Latin word merces meant "price paid for something, wages, reward." The early Christians of Rome used the word in a slightly different way. For them it meant the spiritual reward one receives for doing a kindness in response to an unkindness. The word came into early French as mercit or merci with much the same meaning as was later passed on to our Modern English word mercy. But while mercy in English now has the meaning "kindness or pity shown to someone," the word merci in French has lost much of that meaning and is chiefly used today to mean "thank you."