mer·ci·ful

[mur-si-fuhl]
adjective
full of mercy; characterized by, expressing, or showing mercy; compassionate: a merciful God.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English; see mercy, -ful

mer·ci·ful·ly, adverb
mer·ci·ful·ness, noun
o·ver·mer·ci·ful, adjective
o·ver·mer·ci·ful·ly, adverb
o·ver·mer·ci·ful·ness, noun


kind, clement, lenient, forgiving, benignant, tender, sympathetic.


cruel, relentless.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
merciful (ˈmɜːsɪfʊl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
showing or giving mercy; compassionate
 
'mercifulness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Merciful is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

merciful
c.1300; see mercy + -ful. Related: Mercifully.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
There is no reason to believe otherwise, because the people of that region are
  merciful and in no way cruel.
It's probably a merciful thing that pain is impossible to describe from memory.
Student, students are merciful and recognised they chew something.
Having learned about what went on in an army hospital, the dead ones may have
  had the more merciful of endings.
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