Standard Lemma guide

merciful

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɜː.sɪ.fl̩/
  • General-American: /ˈmɝ.sɪ.fl̩/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M ER1 S IH0 F AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Showing mercy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pitiful, relentful, ruthful

Antonyms: cruel, merciless, barbarous, bowelless, brutal, compassionless, demonic, despiteful, diabolic, diabolical, fell, incessive, inclement, inhuman, inhumane, malicious, nasty, nonhumane, pitiless, remorseless, rotten, ruthless, sadistic, savage, spiteful, truculent, unbenevolent, unbenign, unkind, unmerciful, unpitiful, unpitying

2

adjective

Meaning 2

showing or giving mercy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • sought merciful treatment for the captives
  • a merciful god

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: merciless

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

(used conventionally of royalty and high nobility) gracious

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • our merciful king

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

92 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: رَحِيم (raḥīm) — showing mercy
  • Armenian: ողորմած (oġormac) — showing mercy
  • Belarusian: міласэ́рны (milasérny) — showing mercy
  • Belarusian: лі́тасцівы (lítascivy) — showing mercy
  • Belarusian: мі́ласцівы (mílascivy) — showing mercy
  • Belarusian: мі́ласлівы (mílaslivy) — showing mercy
  • Bulgarian: милости́в (milostív) — showing mercy
  • Bulgarian: милосъ́рден (milosǎ́rden) — showing mercy
  • Bulgarian: състрада́телен (sǎstradátelen) — showing mercy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 仁慈 (réncí) — showing mercy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 慈悲的 (cíbēi-de) — showing mercy
  • Czech: milosrdný — showing mercy
  • Czech: milostivý — showing mercy
  • Danish: barmhjertig — showing mercy
  • Dutch: barmhartig — showing mercy
  • Dutch: genadig — showing mercy
  • Finnish: armelias — showing mercy
  • Finnish: armollinen — showing mercy
  • French: miséricordieux — showing mercy
  • French: indulgent — showing mercy
  • French: sensible — showing mercy
  • Georgian: გულმოწყალე (gulmoc̣q̇ale) — showing mercy
  • Georgian: სათნო (satno) — showing mercy
  • German: gnädig — showing mercy
  • German: barmherzig — showing mercy
  • Gothic: 𐌱𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌸𐍃 (bleiþs) — showing mercy
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐍂𐌼𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍄𐍃 (armahairts) — showing mercy
  • Greek: ελεήμων (eleḯmon) — showing mercy
  • Greek: ελεήμονας (eleḯmonas) — showing mercy
  • Ancient Greek: ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn) — showing mercy
  • Hebrew: רַחֲמָן (raẖamán) — showing mercy
  • Hebrew: רַחוּם (raẖúm) — showing mercy
  • Hungarian: kegyes — showing mercy
  • Hungarian: könyörületes — showing mercy
  • Italian: misericordioso — showing mercy
  • Japanese: 慈悲深い (jihibukai) — showing mercy
  • Japanese: 慈愛深い (jiaibukai) — showing mercy
  • Korean: 자비롭다 (jabiropda) — showing mercy
  • Latgalian: žieleigs — showing mercy
  • Latin: misericors — showing mercy
  • Latvian: žēlīgs — showing mercy
  • Lithuanian: gailestingas — showing mercy
  • Macedonian: милостив (milostiv) — showing mercy
  • Macedonian: милослив (milosliv) — showing mercy
  • Macedonian: милосен (milosen) — showing mercy
  • Macedonian: милосрден (milosrden) — showing mercy
  • Māori: whakaaroha — showing mercy
  • Norman: mînséthicordieux — showing mercy
  • Old English: mildheort — showing mercy
  • Persian: مهربان (mehrabân) — showing mercy
  • Persian: رحیم (rahim) — showing mercy
  • Persian: بخشایشگر (baxšâyešgar) — showing mercy
  • Plautdietsch: erboarmlich — showing mercy
  • Polish: miłosierny — showing mercy
  • Polish: litościwy — showing mercy
  • Polish: miłościwy — showing mercy
  • Portuguese: misericordioso — showing mercy
  • Portuguese: piedoso — showing mercy
  • Romanian: milostiv — showing mercy
  • Romanian: îndurător — showing mercy
  • Russian: милосе́рдный (milosérdnyj) — showing mercy
  • Russian: ми́лостивый (mílostivyj) — showing mercy
  • Russian: сострада́тельный (sostradátelʹnyj) — showing mercy
  • Scottish Gaelic: tròcaireach — showing mercy
  • Scottish Gaelic: cneasta — showing mercy
  • Scottish Gaelic: truacanta — showing mercy
  • Serbo-Croatian: ми̏лоср̄дан — showing mercy
  • Serbo-Croatian: мѝлостӣв — showing mercy
  • Serbo-Croatian: mȉlosr̄dan — showing mercy
  • Serbo-Croatian: mìlostīv — showing mercy
  • Slovak: milosrdný — showing mercy
  • Slovak: milostivý — showing mercy
  • Slovene: milosten — showing mercy
  • Slovene: usmiljen — showing mercy
  • Spanish: misericordioso — showing mercy
  • Spanish: misericorde — showing mercy
  • Swedish: nådig — showing mercy
  • Tocharian B: aräñcatste — showing mercy
  • Tok Pisin: marimari — showing mercy
  • Turkish: merhametli — showing mercy
  • Turkish: rahman — showing mercy
  • Turkish: rahim — showing mercy
  • Ottoman Turkish: رحیم — showing mercy
  • Ukrainian: милосе́рдий (mylosérdyj) — showing mercy
  • Ukrainian: милосе́рдний (mylosérdnyj) — showing mercy
  • Ukrainian: ми́лостивий (mýlostyvyj) — showing mercy
  • Ukrainian: милости́вий (mylostývyj) — showing mercy
  • Vietnamese: khoan hồng — showing mercy
  • Vietnamese: khoan dung — showing mercy
  • Vietnamese: nhân từ — showing mercy
  • Vietnamese: từ bi — showing mercy
  • Yiddish: רחמנותדיק (rakhmonesdik) — showing mercy