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

He made this claim during an interview with Fox & Friends on Sunday, after co-host Will Cain tried to portray the former president as merciful.

From Salon

“She used to be very kind and merciful. She used to be very sweet with people like that.”

From Los Angeles Times

The merciful lack of damage gave them free range to make light of the quake, or ignore it altogether.

From BBC

Harrison David Rivers’s merciful new drama, “The Salvagers,” is not a romance, but it emphatically is a love story: about a furious, heartsick young actor and his imperfect parents, steadfastly trying to help him heal.

From New York Times

The last week had marked a merciful hiatus in the region’s worst bloodshed in decades.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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