1
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
she went into an unmerciful level of detail about her latest health problems
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
the critics were unmerciful in their assessments of the young actress's performance
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Recent Examples of unmerciful
The drought is a source of mockery towards RCB, with opposition fans unmerciful in their scorn towards them and particularly Kohli.
—
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Yet viewers admire Oz’s aptitude to survive, his unmerciful resolve.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024
His take on Prince Philip is both humanizing and unmerciful, cutting to the bone of a man portrayed in contradictory terms — petulant yet statesmanlike, intensely ambitious yet ineffectual, relatable one minute and contemptible the next.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 30 July 2024
The temperature climbed as more gas pushed and compressed itself into the small space, and the heat became unmerciful, exacerbated by the syrupy sensation of the increasingly dense atmosphere.
—Rachel Lance, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
What hit viewers, then and now, with the strength of an unmerciful iceberg is how entirely uncynical this movie is.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2022
How have Willis and Kastor excelled for 20 years and more in that unmerciful context?
—Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2021
Trying to end an unmerciful beating, Astudillo haplessly threw three pitches to Mercedes that were all called balls (and that averaged about 45 mph).
—Scott Jennings, CNN, 20 May 2021
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Yet viewers admire Oz’s aptitude to survive, his unmerciful resolve.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024
His take on Prince Philip is both humanizing and unmerciful, cutting to the bone of a man portrayed in contradictory terms — petulant yet statesmanlike, intensely ambitious yet ineffectual, relatable one minute and contemptible the next.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 30 July 2024
The temperature climbed as more gas pushed and compressed itself into the small space, and the heat became unmerciful, exacerbated by the syrupy sensation of the increasingly dense atmosphere.
—Rachel Lance, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
What hit viewers, then and now, with the strength of an unmerciful iceberg is how entirely uncynical this movie is.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2022
How have Willis and Kastor excelled for 20 years and more in that unmerciful context?
—Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2021
Trying to end an unmerciful beating, Astudillo haplessly threw three pitches to Mercedes that were all called balls (and that averaged about 45 mph).
—Scott Jennings, CNN, 20 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmerciful
Adjective
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But for others, anxiety is an ongoing disorder that causes excessive worry, and isn't just prompted by stressful situations.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Avoid constipation as excessive straining can weaken the pelvic floor.—
Violeta Valdés,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Pierce Brosnan's patriarch is ruthless, but is his wife actually pulling the strings?—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Successful entrepreneurs are ruthless with time and priorities Successful entrepreneurs are ruthless with their time and fiercely protective of their focus.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Two main factors are considered — burn probability and expected fire behavior under extreme conditions.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
-
And interstate commerce is affected — the extreme flooding across a corridor that includes the major cargo hubs in Louisville, Ky., and Memphis could lead to shipping and supply chain delays, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather.—
Bruce Schreiner and Obed Lamy,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The straightforward task rapidly devolves into a perilous game of cat and mouse, when the merciless leader of a notorious crime syndicate sets his sights on claiming the organ for himself.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The counterpoint to Pritzker’s light touch on Schumer is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been merciless in her disapproval of Schumer’s decision.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Your voice is insane.—
Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com,
al,
4 Apr. 2023
-
But obviously winning the grand jury prize was insane.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
31 Mar. 2023
Adjective
-
And in January 2024, a steep entertainment tax on services by karaoke bars, spas, and nightclubs had been proposed, though that was scrapped the next month after backlash from local businesses.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
28 Mar. 2025
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Hop aboard one of the town’s white Volkswagen Beetle taxis to navigate the steep streets, or take the cable car to Hotel Montetaxco—a fine place for views of Taxco rooftops and to rest your head for the night.—
Meagan Drillinger,
AFAR Media,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Princess Diana and then Prince Charles tied the knot in an extravagant ceremony on July 29, 1981.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Abbott Elementary is experiencing quite the shake up after Ava (Janelle James) was fired last week when the district uncovered that the school had been extorting the nearby golf course for extravagant resources.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Such a tsunami would be unphysical, since no wave can accommodate infinite energy in the real world.—
Charlie Wood,
Wired News,
6 Apr. 2025
-
Each of the tales provides a stated goal, such as maximally making paperclips or calculating pi to an infinite number of digits in length.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unmerciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmerciful. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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