merciful C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈmɝsɪfəl/ UK /ˈməːsɪfʊl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj showing compassion or forgiveness toward those in one's power The judge was merciful and reduced the harsh sentence. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · showing compassion or... compassionatelenientclementforgivinghumanegraciousforbearing ↔ Opposites mercilesscruelruthlesspitilessharsh Word family Forms mercifullyunmercifully Derived forms mercifullymercifulness Related forms mercymerciless Etymology AI details From mercy (from Old French merci 'pity, thanks', from Latin mercēs 'reward, wages', in Church Latin 'pity, favor') + -ful. merci xno mercēs Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # merciful **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈmɝsɪfəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈməːsɪfʊl/ ## Meanings 1. showing compassion or forgiveness toward those in one's power ## Examples - The judge was merciful and reduced the harsh sentence. ## Synonyms - compassionate - lenient - clement - forgiving - humane - gracious - forbearing ## Antonyms - merciless - cruel - ruthless - pitiless - harsh ## Derived Forms - mercifully - mercifulness ## Related Forms - mercy - merciless ## Roots and Affixes - Root: merci - Root: mercēs ## Etymology From mercy (from Old French merci 'pity, thanks', from Latin mercēs 'reward, wages', in Church Latin 'pity, favor') + -ful. ## AI Etymology Merciful comes from mercy (from Old French merci 'pity, thanks', from Latin mercēs 'reward, wages', in Church Latin 'pity, favor') + -ful. The etymological trail includes Old French merci, Latin mercēs. The same word family includes mercifully, mercifulness, mercy, merciless. Its current adjective use means "showing compassion or forgiveness toward those in one's power". ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown