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 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
That, however, was the merciful end to the Flyers’ comeback bid as the B’s somehow survived the onslaught for the win.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2024
And the Bills routed the Jets, 40-14, to inch New York one game closer to a merciful end for a miserable season.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Eventually, the company will miss an earnings target or announce an earnings warning, and, as recent history has shown, the market will not be merciful in its reaction.
—Charles Rotblut, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
That, however, was the merciful end to the Flyers’ comeback bid as the B’s somehow survived the onslaught for the win.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2024
And the Bills routed the Jets, 40-14, to inch New York one game closer to a merciful end for a miserable season.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Eventually, the company will miss an earnings target or announce an earnings warning, and, as recent history has shown, the market will not be merciful in its reaction.
—Charles Rotblut, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
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The Hoosiers are balanced, patient and can score in flurries with the 3-ball.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
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Chris would benefit from a family that is patient and will provide him with guidance during his teen years.—
The Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Snow White was born into a kingdom on the edge of a forest, where happiness flourishes under the benevolent King (Hadley Fraser) and Queen (Lorena Andrea).—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
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When thinking about quintessential Southern attributes, qualities like hospitable, benevolent, and polite come to mind.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Beyond his incredible work as an actor, Mason is a genuinely kind and compassionate individual who fosters a spirit of acceptance and collaboration in our theatre program.—
Heide Janssen,
Orange County Register,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Be calm, be compassionate, be creative, be careful.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Trump has appointed a crypto-friendly cabinet and sympathetic regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2025
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And her attempts at a pseudo love affair with Matt Damon’s sympathetic Allied officer always feels more theoretical than palpable.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Ohtani is back in Japan and that puts an even bigger grin on these gracious locals.—
Jay Paris,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
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There's a little sprinkled throughout, but these all-stars are by and large gracious and amiable.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This is how we’re introduced to the story of Snow White’s parents, two kind, generous rulers who long for a child and are thrilled by their daughter’s arrival.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
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Aquarius: Doc Doc is the kind and sympathetic leader of the dwarves, who encourages everyone to let Snow White stay with them.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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In his fourth feature, director Hsiao Ya-Chuan follows the unsentimental education of a motherless 11-year-old boy, Liao Jie (Bai Run-yin), raised in poverty by his kindly father, Liao Tai-lai (Liu Kuan-Ting), a waiter at a busy banqueting hall.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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My psyche requires a gentle slide into 90-degree weather.—
Sherry Kuehl,
Kansas City Star,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Balmain masters contrasting textures: think gentle cashmere and mohair clash with the fierceness of rich leather, with armor-like garments featured heavily in-between.—
Angela Lei,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
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