merciful en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈmɝ.sɪ.fl̩/ (General-American)
- (US) audio
- /ˈmɜː.sɪ.fl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English merciful, mercyful, equivalent to mercy + -ful. Displaced native Old English mildheort.
Meanings
-
Showing mercy.
The murderer, he recalled, had been tried and sentenced to imprisonment for life, but was pardoned by a merciful governor after serving a year of his sentence.
1900, Charles W[addell] Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], →OCLC:`Listen, Holly. Thou art a good and honest man, and I fain would spare thee; but, oh! it is so hard for woman to be merciful.'
1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most merciful | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more merciful | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
diabolic · sadistic · unpitying · inclement · remorseless · unmerciful · inclement · inhuman · merciless · malicious · nonhumane · cruel · incessive · truculent · brutal · unkind · unmerciful · despiteful · spiteful · nasty · diabolical · unlenient · rotten · flagitious · bowelless · unmercied · merciless · inhumane · unbenign · barbarous · cruel · savage · compassionless · demonic · fell · pitiless · cruel · relentless · unbenevolent · unclement · merciless · ruthless · unpitiful
Deriveds
overmerciful · mercifulness · mercifully · merciful heavens · unmerciful
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Relateds
tolerant · sympathetic · empathetic · compassionate · pitying · forbearing
Synonyms
relentful · safe · ruthful · merciful · merciable · mercied · relentful · pitiful · pitiful · ruthful · lenient · clement
Translations (93)
bg състрада́телен (showing mercy) · be міласэ́рны (showing mercy) · vi khoan dung (showing mercy) · fa بخشایشگر (showing mercy) · be мі́ласцівы (showing mercy) · gd truacanta (showing mercy) · es misericorde (showing mercy) · tr rahman (showing mercy) · txb aräñcatste (showing mercy) · pdt erboarmlich (showing mercy) · sl usmiljen (showing mercy) · fa مهربان (showing mercy) · nl barmhartig (showing mercy) · cs milostivý (showing mercy) · pt misericordioso (showing mercy) · got 𐌱𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌸𐍃 (showing mercy) · la misericors (showing mercy) · vi nhân từ (showing mercy) · ang mildheort (showing mercy) · mk милосен (showing mercy) · ro milostiv (showing mercy) · fr sensible (showing mercy) · es misericordioso (showing mercy) · fi armelias (showing mercy) · gd tròcaireach (showing mercy) · ro îndurător (showing mercy) · pl litościwy (showing mercy) · pt piedoso (showing mercy) · sk milosrdný (showing mercy) · el ελεήμονας (showing mercy) · ru ми́лостивый (showing mercy) · tr rahim (showing mercy) · grc ἐλεήμων (showing mercy) · ltg žieleigs (showing mercy) · pl miłosierny (showing mercy) · tpi marimari (showing mercy) · gd cneasta (showing mercy) · fr miséricordieux (showing mercy) · cmn 仁慈 (showing mercy) · it misericordioso (showing mercy) · uk ми́лостивий (showing mercy) · bg милости́в (showing mercy) · got 𐌰𐍂𐌼𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍄𐍃 (showing mercy) · lv žēlīgs (showing mercy) · mk милослив (showing mercy) · cs milosrdný (showing mercy) · be лі́тасцівы (showing mercy) · sk milostivý (showing mercy) · be мі́ласлівы (showing mercy) · ru сострада́тельный (showing mercy) · uk милосе́рдний (showing mercy) · cmn 慈悲的 (showing mercy) · nrf mînséthicordieux (showing mercy) · ota رحیم (showing mercy) · hu kegyes (showing mercy) · de gnädig (showing mercy) · uk милосе́рдий (showing mercy) · de barmherzig (showing mercy) · sh mȉlosr̄dan (showing mercy) · sl milosten (showing mercy) · mi whakaaroha (showing mercy) · eo kompatema (showing mercy) · bg милосъ́рден (showing mercy) · ja 慈悲深い (showing mercy) · pl miłościwy (showing mercy) · ka გულმოწყალე (showing mercy) · nl genadig (showing mercy) · he רַחוּם (showing mercy) · vi khoan hồng (showing mercy) · lt gailestingas (showing mercy) · sh mìlostīv (showing mercy) · hu könyörületes (showing mercy) · yi רחמנותדיק (showing mercy) · sh ми̏лоср̄дан (showing mercy) · fa رحیم (showing mercy) · ru милосе́рдный (showing mercy) · fr indulgent (showing mercy) · vi từ bi (showing mercy) · sv nådig (showing mercy) · tr merhametli (showing mercy) · ko 자비롭다 (showing mercy) · sh мѝлостӣв (showing mercy) · ja 慈愛深い (showing mercy) · mk милосрден (showing mercy) · da barmhjertig (showing mercy) · el ελεήμων (showing mercy) · he רַחֲמָן (showing mercy) · ar رَحِيم (showing mercy) · uk милости́вий (showing mercy) · hy ողորմած (showing mercy) · mk милостив (showing mercy) · ka სათნო (showing mercy) · fi armollinen (showing mercy)