merciful — English Dictionary

Adjective

1. Showing mercy.

   Synonyms

   pitifulrelentfulruthful

   Antonyms

   cruelmerciless

   Examples

   `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.'

   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.

Adjective

1. showing or giving mercy

   Antonyms

   merciless

   Examples

   sought merciful treatment for the captives

   a merciful god

2. (used conventionally of royalty and high nobility) gracious

   Examples

   our merciful king