merciless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of merciless
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English mercyles; see mercy, -less
Explanation
Use the adjective merciless to describe someone who acts in a cruel, heartless way. You could accuse your rabbit-hunting brother of being merciless. Merciless is the antonym, or opposite, of "merciful." If a person shows no mercy or pity, she is merciless. This can describe a cruelly violent person, or it can be more figurative: "The torrential rain was merciless, pouring down on the wedding party as they ran to take cover." The root word is mercy, which comes from the French merci, "reward, gift, or kindness."
Vocabulary lists containing merciless
Hamilton
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Schooled
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Theodore Roosevelt on "The Man with the Muck Rake" (1906)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The movie saw warring factions of the planet Mongo unite against the oppression of Ming the Merciless.
From BBC • Dec. 21, 2022
Some featured Ming the Merciless shoulders inspired by Golden Age Hollywood as filtered through the sensibilities of the 1970s designer Larry LeGaspi.
From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2022
Merciless tyrants do sometimes rise to the top in a chimpanzee community, but the more typical alphas that I have known were quite the opposite.
From The Guardian • Mar. 12, 2019
Brogan: You look like you’re ready to fight Ming the Merciless.
From Slate • Jan. 3, 2018
We stand in the interrogation room, on the top floor of the Merciless Mart.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
