merciful
Use the adjective merciful to describe someone who has compassion for other people, especially when he is in a position to punish them or treat them harshly.
If you're caught cheating on a math test, your best hope is that your teacher will be merciful, or that she will forgive you for what you've done. Forgiving someone or relieving a person's pain are both merciful acts. The word merciful also has religious connotations which come from the root word mercy, used since the 12th century to mean "God's forgiveness of his creatures' offenses." The origin is the Old French merci, "pity or thanks."
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showing or giving mercy“sought merciful treatment for the captives”“a merciful god”synonyms:clement(used of persons or behavior) inclined to show mercycompassionateshowing or having compassionsoftcompassionate and kind; conciliatoryhumanemarked or motivated by concern with the alleviation of sufferingkindhaving or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behaviorantonyms:mercilesshaving or showing no mercybloodyhaving or covered with or accompanied by bloodinclementused of persons or behavior; showing no clemency or mercyuncompassionatelacking compassion or feeling for othersharddispassionateunkindlacking kindnessmortalunrelenting and deadlytigerishresembling a tiger in fierceness and lack of mercyimplacableincapable of being placated
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(used conventionally of royalty and high nobility) gracious“our merciful king”synonyms:graciouscharacterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
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Vocabulary lists containing merciful
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Robert E. Lee's farewell to the Army of Northern Virginia was delivered at Appomattox Court House on April 10, 1865, one day after the surrender that effectively ended the Civil War. The speech is brief and eloquent. Lee thanks his men for their sacrifice and explains that the outcome is not due to their performance. For more on this speech and its important words, read the full article.