mercy

Noun

• alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed
  • distributing food and clothing to the flood victims was an act of mercy
    

• something for which to be thankful
  • it was a mercy we got out alive
    

• the feeling that motivates compassion

• a disposition to be kind and forgiving
  • in those days a wife had to depend on the mercifulness of her husband
    

• leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
  • he threw himself on the mercy of the court
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  mercifulness , clemency
• Antonyms: 
  mercilessness , unmercifulness