merciful

[ mur-si-fuhl ]

adjective

1. full of mercy; characterized by, expressing, or showing mercy; compassionate:

   a merciful God.

   Synonyms: sympathetic, tender, benignant, forgiving, lenient, clement, kind

   Antonyms: relentless, cruel

merciful

/ ˈmɜːsɪfʊl /

adjective

1. showing or giving mercy; compassionate

Derived Forms

• ˈmercifulness, noun

Other Words From

• merci·ful·ly adverb
• merci·ful·ness noun
• over·merci·ful adjective
• over·merci·ful·ly adverb
• over·merci·ful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of merciful¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; mercy + -ful

Example Sentences

Rosina, when she saw me cooling, had no such merciful contraption ready.

From The Daily Beast

Why is Putin feeling so merciful all of a sudden to his political enemies?

From The Daily Beast

The death carried an all-the-more-powerful message because Julius Caesar was famously merciful to defeated enemies.

From The Daily Beast

All Muslims assert that God is most merciful, most compassionate.

From The Daily Beast

I'd been so irrationally certain of merciful miracles; he was supposed to live forever.

From The Daily Beast

But with no Devil the belief in a merciful and loving Heavenly Father becomes impossible.

From Project Gutenberg

But this theory of a merciful, and loving Heavenly Father is vital to the Christian religion.

From Project Gutenberg

He longed for death with a full and yearning desire, and he could kiss the hand that would be merciful and give the fatal blow.

From Project Gutenberg

Her face was grey as the one from which she drew the merciful coverings, but her eyes went fearlessly to that which she sought.

From Project Gutenberg

"It has been a most merciful escape," Maloney said, his pulpit voice struggling with his emotion.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• charitable
• compassionate
• forgiving
• gracious
• humane
• humanitarian
• kindly
• lenient