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
May he be received into the merciful arms of our loving Savior who suffered and died for Charlie.
—
Amanda Castro
gabe Whisnant
anna Commander
toby Meyjes
shane Croucher
john Feng
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Founded in the mid-19th century as a grocery store in Greenwich Village, the bar retains a patina of its early years—the dim interior, wood walls, the merciful lack of thunka-thunk music.
—Harrison Hill, AFAR Media, 19 Aug. 2025
Basically a reboot after the last World trilogy with Chris Pratt came to a merciful conclusion, Rebirth stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend, but, of course, the real stars are the dinosaurs.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Another 10 percent will be merciful, no matter what.
—Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
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The investigation has resulted in Wallace being charged with concealment of death from unnatural causes, patient abuse and neglect and felony assault of an individual with disabilities, police said.—
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His focus was on treating her as an individual and patient, not as a statistic.—
Adjective
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Sandy Rabins, who led AnimAID efforts to help those in the animation industry affected by the 2025 LA wildfires, will receive the June Foray Award for benevolent impact to the animation community.—
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Not like a drunk way but like a benevolent alien who couldn’t believe that this planet had donuts.—
Adjective
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Stable housing, economic supports, safe communities, inclusive policies, supportive workplaces, and compassionate classrooms are not abstract ideals.—
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Vulnerable Chiron is rolling forward in your 10th House of Authority, prompting you to reshape your path by transforming past criticism into practical, compassionate leadership.—
Adjective
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After the initial encounter, sending a brief email or text is both gracious and strategic.—
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Our recipe hails from Mary Ada Marshall, a resident of Smith Island, who was gracious enough to share her recipe.—
Adjective
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Andrew begins to feel both sympathetic and longing for Millie and leaves Nina for the maid.—
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Although its questions framed the scandal with wording sympathetic to Republicans, the survey suggests the GOP sees an opening that could drag down Democrats.—
Adjective
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One reviewer noted ]that the supportive style was especially kind to their wide feet, high arches, and bunions.—
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Maybe some of the psychedelics and kind bud was replaced by Advil, Pepto and Ben Gay.—
Adjective
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Jenna and Kevin, the warring magazine writers, seek refuge at The Winters Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast owned by the kindly Christopher and Carol Winters.—
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Allen’s combo of flip insincerity and kindly concern is a terrific treat, recalling Bill Murray at his doofy best.—
Adjective
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Common exfoliators and fine line-eliminators like retinol and glycolic acid are too harsh on my skin, but this serum utilizes lactic acid, which is far more gentle but just as potent.—
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Instead of direct water exposure, the robot switches to a gentler mechanical process.—
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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