unmerciful
/ʌn'mə:siful/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Showing no mercy or compassion; cruel, harsh, or severe in treatment or judgment. Describes a person, action, or attitude that is pitiless and does not show any kindness or leniency.
Usage
- The adjective "unmerciful" is used to describe someone who acts without pity or an action that is excessively harsh. It often implies a degree of severity that is considered excessive or unjust.
- It is typically used in formal or literary contexts. In everyday speech, synonyms like "merciless" or "ruthless" are more common.
- It can modify nouns directly (e.g., an unmerciful critic) or be used after linking verbs like "be," "seem," or "become."
Examples
- As an adjective:
- The judge was unmerciful in his sentencing, giving the maximum penalty for a minor crime.
- She faced unmerciful criticism from the press after her mistake.
- The summer heat was unmerciful, with no rain for months.
Advanced Usage
- "unmercifully" (adverb): In a manner showing no mercy; cruelly or severely.
- The team was defeated unmercifully, with a final score of 10-0.
- The word can be used hyperbolically to describe non-human things, like weather or pain, to emphasize their extreme and relentless nature.
- I have an unmerciful headache.
Variants and Related Words
- Merciless (adj.): Having or showing no mercy; synonymous with "unmerciful" and more frequently used.
- Unmercifulness (n.): The quality or state of being unmerciful. (This is a rare noun form).
- Ruthless (adj.): Having no pity; cruel. (A close synonym, often implying a driven, uncompromising harshness).
Synonyms
- Merciless: Showing no mercy.
- Pitiless: Feeling or showing no pity.
- Cruel: Willfully causing pain or suffering to others.
- Heartless: Lacking sympathy or feeling; unfeeling.
- Inexorable: Impossible to stop or prevent; often used for unrelenting forces.
Antonyms
- Merciful: Showing or exercising mercy.
- Compassionate: Feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others.
- Lenient: More merciful or tolerant than expected.
- Humane: Having or showing compassion or benevolence.
Idioms and Phrases
- While there is no common idiom using the exact word "unmerciful," the concept is captured in phrases like:
- "Give no quarter": To show no mercy or clemency.
- "Throw someone to the wolves": To abandon someone to a cruel or merciless situation.
Adjective
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having or showing no mercy
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the merciless enemy
-
a merciless critic
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gave him a merciless beating
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