merciful

adjective

mer·​ci·​ful ˈmər-si-fəl How to pronounce merciful (audio)
: full of mercy : compassionate
a merciful ruler
also : providing relief
a merciful end
mercifulness noun

Examples of merciful in a Sentence

He became less merciful to his enemies. He died a quick and merciful death.
Recent Examples on the Web Eventually, the company will miss an earnings target or announce an earnings warning, and, as recent history has shown, the market will not be merciful in its reaction. Charles Rotblut, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Lee plays Avatar Roku, a wise and merciful Avatar with good intentions, while Tomita plays the fierce and protective Mayor Yukari. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Thankfully the wagering requirements themselves are a little more merciful, with only 25x playthrough necessary to cash the bonus out. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 Alioto pleaded for more merciful solutions after Balistrieri threatened to kill two men during an argument secretly recorded by the FBI. Journal Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024 The 2023 Patriots’ season came to a merciful end with a 4-13 record, featuring an offense that can’t get out of its own way and a defense that would have to put its own points on the board to put victory within reach. Doug Kyed, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2024 This time Nebuchadnezzar was less merciful and ordered his troops to completely destroy Jerusalem and pull down the wall around 586 BCE. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 31 Dec. 2023 Some perfect storms are merciful, and this is one of them. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2024 The last week had marked a merciful hiatus in the region’s worst bloodshed in decades. Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'merciful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of merciful was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near merciful

Cite this Entry

“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merciful. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

merciful

adjective
mer·​ci·​ful ˈmər-si-fəl How to pronounce merciful (audio)
: having or showing mercy : compassionate
a merciful ruler
mercifully
-f(ə-)lē
adverb
mercifulness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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