as in patient
showing kindness and forgiveness instead of harshness or cruelty especially to someone under one's authority or control
When our English teacher caught us cheating, we prayed he would be merciful in deciding our punishment.
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Recent Examples of merciful
If 10 percent of people are going to be cruel no matter what and 10 percent will be merciful no matter what, then the greatest battle of our lives, the real one, is not good versus evil.
—
Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
The Celtics met a merciful end at Madison Square Garden last night, 119-81, and now have a lot to figure out:
Tatum will miss a consequential period in his career.
—Sam Settleman, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Among vocational and merciful acts of service, Pope Francis would wash and kiss the feet of men, women and children, including those of prison inmates, during an annual Holy Thursday ritual.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
The Celtics’ first-round slugfest came to a merciful end Tuesday night at TD Garden.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
The Celtics met a merciful end at Madison Square Garden last night, 119-81, and now have a lot to figure out:
Tatum will miss a consequential period in his career.
—Sam Settleman, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Among vocational and merciful acts of service, Pope Francis would wash and kiss the feet of men, women and children, including those of prison inmates, during an annual Holy Thursday ritual.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
The Celtics’ first-round slugfest came to a merciful end Tuesday night at TD Garden.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
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And then also just being patient with your mental health journey and battling acne and skincare too.—
Brittany Talarico,
People.com,
21 July 2025
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Cloud was patient yet fast, finishing with the best time in the first round (34.1), despite missing all three of her right-wing 3-point attempts.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
19 July 2025
Adjective
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Good starters are made up of the unique mix of benevolent dictator (someone has got to keep things moving), a maestro (there are a million different things at play; the starter gets them all to hopefully harmonize) and friend.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
10 July 2025
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The act was sealed in a pronouncement by Princess Isabel, who became a President Lincoln-like figure in Brazil, known to many as the benevolent white liberator of the enslaved.—
Time,
Time,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Companies like Google and Salesforce offer extensive parental leave programs, recognizing that supporting employees during one of life’s most significant milestones is not only compassionate but smart business.—
Will Fan,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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That means unlearning the language that perpetuates harm and stereotypes, and being more compassionate and humane across the board.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Young Sil is sympathetic, the result of an unethical science experiment.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 July 2025
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Davenport is sympathetic to best-of-five giving women’s tennis a more even platform, but fears that critics of women’s tennis would still dig up something to find fault with.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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The man was gifted, gracious, often generous and seldom mean-spirited.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
10 July 2025
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But goodness gracious, the Rockies are only (14-36) under Schaeffer after going 7-33 under Black.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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At the end of every school year, Rob and Nora Tonn show up at Hinsdale Central High School and give away scholarships to graduating student athletes who are kind.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
18 July 2025
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Thank you for your support and kind thoughts during this difficult time.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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Those with kindly outlooks might believe that people comfy with that kind of damage might not understand its impact.—
Pat Beall,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 July 2025
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The kindly matriarch wins over Amélie by feeding her white chocolate, and thus a first human connection is made.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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The shelter posted the video hoping someone might see past Iris's fear and recognize the gentle dog underneath.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
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But the show has also increasingly thrived on the odd-couple chemistry between co-creator Downs, who plays Hollywood’s gentlest manager, and breakout star Stalter as his assistant turned partner.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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