Synonyms of merciful
8 similar words · 37 opposite words
Another word for merciful is clement. Other synonyms of merciful are lenient and mercied. The opposite of merciful is cruel.
Synonyms and similar words for merciful
adjectiveShowing mercy.
- pitifulFeeling pity; merciful.
- relentfulMerciful, forbearing.
- ruthfulFull of ruth or pity; merciful; compassionate.
- clementLenient or merciful; charitable.
- lenientLax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.
- merciedTempered by mercy; merciful.
- safe slangLenient, usually describing a teacher that is easy-going.
- merciable obsoleteMerciful.
Opposite of merciful
adjectiveShowing mercy.
- cruelIntentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.
- mercilessShowing no mercy; cruel and pitiless.
- barbarous
- brutal
- compassionlessWithout compassion; hardhearted.
- flagitious formal
- demonic figuratively
- diabolic figuratively
- diabolical figuratively
- fell
- incessive
- inhuman
- inhumane
- maliciousIntending to do harm; characterized by spite and malice.
- nasty
- nonhumaneNot humane, inhumane.
- pitiless
- remorseless
- rotten
- ruthless
- sadistic
- savage
- spitefulFilled with, or showing, spite; having a desire to annoy or harm.
- truculent
- unbenevolentNot benevolent.
- unbenignNot benign; malevolent.
- unkind
- unmercifulNot showing mercy.
- unpityingNot feeling or showing pity.
- bowelless obsoleteWithout pity.
- despiteful archaicFull of despite; expressing malice or contemptuous hate.
- inclement obsolete
- unpitiful archaicWithout pity; pitiless.
adjectiveMore antonyms
- relentless
- unlenientNot lenient.
- unclement obsolete
- unmercied obsoleteUnmerciful; merciless.
Meaning of merciful
- adjective Showing mercy.
merciful in other languages
Questions about synonyms of merciful
- What is another word for merciful?
- Merciful has 8 synonyms on Word.ws, such as clement, lenient and mercied.
- What is the opposite of merciful?
- The opposite of merciful is cruel. Other antonyms of merciful are merciless, unmerciful, malicious, spiteful and fell.
- What does merciful mean?
- Merciful means showing mercy.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: merciful (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of merciful.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/merciful. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.