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
The Nets fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-91 Friday night at Target Center, bringing their 2024-25 road slate to a merciful end.
—
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025
The Church also believes in and supports the efforts of nations to regulate borders and control immigration, provided it is done in a way that is both just and merciful.
—William McCarthy, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2025
The Gospel's beatitudes—blessed are the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers—stand in stark opposition to the movement's rhetoric of anger and grievance.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
The miserable 2024-25 New York Giants season came to a merciful end with a 20-13 loss to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
—Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025
The Church also believes in and supports the efforts of nations to regulate borders and control immigration, provided it is done in a way that is both just and merciful.
—William McCarthy, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2025
The Gospel's beatitudes—blessed are the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers—stand in stark opposition to the movement's rhetoric of anger and grievance.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
The miserable 2024-25 New York Giants season came to a merciful end with a 20-13 loss to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
—Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
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The key to success is being patient and consistent with healthy habits.—
Kumkum S. Patel,
Verywell Health,
22 May 2025
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Healthcare organizations can leverage this technology to securely analyze patient data across international boundaries while maintaining compliance.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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New Delhi and Islamabad found a way to de-escalate, stop the fighting and move toward a future that will hopefully be more benevolent than the past.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2025
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Their expensive quest is financially backed by a seemingly benevolent billionaire Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson), who has his own reasons for helping Luke and Charlotte.—
Eric Andersson,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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One way to initiate a more intentional approach to developing people-centric leaders is to explore the compassionate leadership toolkit, which includes a free assessment, and consider attending WorkHuman’s next conference for educational and morale purposes.—
Laurel Donnellan,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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This can help the development of more conscious leadership and the formation of compassionate teams.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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On social media, where content creators have been dissecting the case, some commenters have been distressingly sympathetic to Diddy’s defense.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
17 May 2025
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There’s not a single sympathetic White character in the film.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Its three-stateroom design lets owners and guests can enjoy weekend cruising, while the exterior promotes gracious outdoor living in the large beach-club area, or up on the sport bridge.—
Julia Zaltzman,
Robb Report,
28 May 2025
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Ohio State fans were actually gracious in honoring him before the game.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Before his latest movie premiered, festival chief Thierry Frémaux shared some kind words with the crowd about Washington.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2025
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In the workplace, how kind (or not critical) one is to themself is likely not the first place managers will jump to when thinking about how to improve safety processes at work.—
Ellen Choi,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Eventually, Billy tries to warn the foster care headquarters, managed by a kindly woman named Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton), that Laura is trying to sabotage Billy.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 May 2025
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The cast includes Stephen Merchant as the voice of the mouse, Kristen Wiig as a scenery-chewing evil aunt, and Jim Broadbent as a kindly but clueless king.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Including Marcelo and his kid, all three of the film’s rival factions are father-son teams, a choice that highlights Filho’s gentle emphasis on the relationship between lineage and identity — and the defiant notion that history is as hard to erase as DNA.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
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The story is like a gentle hug, wrapping you up in a sense of comfort and contentment.—
American Booksellers Association,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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