mercy

¹ American  

[mur-see] / ˈmɜr si /

noun

plural

mercies

1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence.

   Have mercy on the poor sinner.

   Synonyms:

   tenderness, lenity, leniency, clemency, indulgence, forgiveness, mildness

   Antonyms:

   cruelty

2. the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing.

   an adversary wholly without mercy.

3. the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.

4. an act of kindness, compassion, or favor.

   She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.

5. something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing.

   It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.

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idioms

1. at the mercy of, entirely in the power of; subject to: Also at one's mercy.

   They were at the mercy of their captors.

Mercy ² American  

[mur-see] / ˈmɜr si /

noun

1. a female given name.

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mercy British  

/ ˈmɜːsɪ /

noun

1. compassionate treatment of or attitude towards an offender, adversary, etc, who is in one's power or care; clemency; pity

2. the power to show mercy

   to throw oneself on someone's mercy

3. a relieving or welcome occurrence or state of affairs

   his death was a mercy after weeks of pain

4. in the power of

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mercy More Idioms  

1. see at the mercy of.

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Etymology

Origin of mercy

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English merci, from Old French, earlier mercit, from Latin mercēd-, stem of mercēs “wages” ( Late Latin, Medieval Latin: “heavenly reward”), derivative of merc-, stem of merx “commodity, goods, merchandise”

Example Sentences

"Insects are cold-blooded, so they are at the mercy of external temperatures," said Northwestern's Marco Gallio, who led the study.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

The main risk is that by locking your money away in exchange for a monthly income at a predetermined interest rate, you are at the mercy of a massive surge in inflation and interest rates.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

"But it's a long, drawn-out situation and we're at the mercy of the Police Scotland and the Registers of Scotland's office," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

"All we want is for the situation to improve so we can go back to our homes and live in peace, but the enemy has no mercy."

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

It's when mercy is least expected that it's most potent—strong enough to break the cycle of victimization and victimhood, retribution and suffering.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• benevolence
• blessing
• charity
• clemency
• forgiveness
• generosity
• goodwill
• grace
• leniency
• pity
• sympathy
• tolerance