merciful
adjective
mer·ci·ful
| \ ˈmər-si-fəl
\
\
Definition of merciful
: full of mercy : compassionate
a merciful ruler
also
: providing relief
a merciful end
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Other Words from merciful
mercifulness
\ ˈmər-si-fəl-nəs
\
noun
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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
Thucydides’s history portrays the Spartans as reluctant to go to war and often more merciful than their more liberal-minded opponents, the Athenians. — Nick Burns, The New Republic, "In Defense of Sparta," 7 Aug. 2019 Boos from the home crowd initially rained before a merciful chorus of applause and cheers drowned them out. — Jorge Castillo, latimes.com, "Dodgers romp against Red Sox to end skid at four games," 13 July 2019 Straily gave up a two-run homer to Martinez in the fourth, then three more homers in the fifth: a two-run blast to Jackie Bradley Jr., another two-run homer to Michael Chavis, and a solo shot to Martinez that was a merciful cap to a five-run frame. — Julian Benbow, BostonGlobe.com, "Homer-happy Red Sox blast Baltimore," 15 June 2019 Gratitude finds ways to express itself; the result is a more humane, decent, and merciful society and political culture. — Nr Interview, National Review, "A Political Renewal?," 11 June 2019 Even its poetry shivered with frosted laments for a reprieve or, more cheerfully, merciful oblivion: Just God, whence will things go With these times of cold? — Nathaniel Rich, Harper's magazine, "Ruina Mundi," 10 May 2019 After his death, Ashoka’s merciful style of governance waned along with the Mauryan Empire itself. — National Geographic, "Who was Ashoka?," 1 Apr. 2019 The merciful ones manage to add seats to the main cabin without decreasing seat pitch, the distance from a point on a seat to the same point on the seat in front of it. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Here Are Some Strange and Cruel New Ideas for Cramming More People Into Airplanes," 22 Mar. 2016 And yet, a cool warehouse might be considered a merciful destiny compared to the fate of Zaha Hadid’s 2000 pavilion. — Max Maeckler, Vogue, "Bjarke Ingels’s Serpentine Pavilion Is on a World Tour: First Stop, Toronto," 24 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'merciful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for merciful
merciful
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of merciful
: treating people with kindness and forgiveness : not cruel or harsh : having or showing mercy
: giving relief from suffering
See the full definition for merciful in the English Language Learners Dictionary
merciful
adjective
mer·ci·ful
| \ ˈmər-si-fəl
\
\
Kids Definition of merciful
: having or showing mercy or compassion
a merciful ruler
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