merciful

CEFRC1

/ˈmɜː.sɪ.fl̩/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Showing kindness by not punishing or harming someone.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Showing mercy.

Examples

  • Be wise and pray to a merciful god.

  • In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
2
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

More examples

In context
  • In the name of God, The most Gracious, The most 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.

  • `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.'

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The king was known for being blank and forgiving towards his enemies.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English merciful, mercyful, equivalent to mercy + -ful. Displaced native Old English mildheort.