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mercy

noun · verb

Simple meaning

Forgiveness or compassion.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

mursee

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈmɝsi

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. uncountable

    Forgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.

  2. Leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice

  3. uncountable

    A tendency toward forgiveness, pity, or compassion.

  4. uncountable

    Relenting; forbearance to cause or allow harm to another.

  5. countable

    Instances of forbearance or forgiveness.

  6. uncountable

    A children's game in which two players stand opposite with hands grasped and twist each other's arms until one gives in.

verb

  1. To show mercy; to pardon or treat leniently because of mercy

  2. To feel mercy

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Forgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.

Used this way, mercy is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It suits reflective writing more than quick conversation.

Emotional tone
Positive
Formality
Slightly formal
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Fortunate or pleasantly unexpected
Usage feel
Reflective and slightly elevated

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use mercy

  • “It was a mercy we got out alive.”noun
  • “Distributing food and clothing to the flood victims was an act of mercy.”noun
  • “He threw himself on the mercy of the court.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Relenting

mercy killing

Alleviation

great mercy

Other combinations

mercy seatdivine mercyshow mercyinfinite mercy

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • mercernounPerson or profession

    A dealer in textiles (especially silks).

  • mercifuladjectiveDerived adjective

    Showing or giving mercy.

  • mercilessadjectiveDerived adjective

    Having or showing no mercy.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • mercy killingnounCompound term

    The act of killing someone painlessly (especially someone suffering from an incurable illness).

  • mercy seatnounCompound term

    The throne of God.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: forgiveness or compassion or especially toward those less fortunate

clemency

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.