Antonyms for mercy
ˈmɜr simer·cy

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. mercy

   Mercy is the exercise of less severity than one deserves, or in a more extended sense, the granting of kindness or favor beyond what one may rightly claim. Grace is favor, kindness, or blessing shown to the undeserving; forgiveness, mercy, and pardon are exercised toward the ill-deserving. Pardon remits the outward penalty which the offender deserves; forgiveness dismisses resentment or displeasure from the heart of the one offended; mercy seeks the highest possible good of the offender. There may be mercy without pardon, as in the mitigation of sentence, or in all possible alleviation of necessary severity; there may be cases where pardon would not be mercy, since it would encourage to repetition of the offense, from which timely punishment might have saved. Mercy is also used in the wider sense of refraining from harshness or cruelty toward those who are in one's power without fault of their own; as, they besought the robber to have mercy. Clemency is a colder word than mercy, and without its religious associations, signifying mildness and moderation in the use of power where severity would have legal or military, rather than moral sanction; it often denotes a habitual mildness of disposition on the part of the powerful, and is matter rather of good nature or policy than of principle. Leniency or lenity denotes an easy-going avoidance of severity; these words are more general and less magisterial than clemency; we should speak of the leniency of a parent, the clemency of a conqueror. Compare PITY.

   Antonyms:
   cruelty, hardness, harshness, implacability, justice, penalty, punishment, revenge, rigor, severity, sternness, vengeance

   Synonyms:
   benevolence, benignity, blessing, clemency, compassion, favor, forbearance, forgiveness, gentleness, grace, kindness, lenience, leniency, lenity, mildness, pardon, pardon, pity, tenderness

   Preposition:
   The mercy of God to or toward sinners; have mercy on or upon one.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.5 / 2 votes

1. mercy

   Antonyms:
   exaction, harshness, cruelty, vengeance, unpityingness, unforgiveness

   Synonyms:
   compassion, clemency, forgiveness, forbearance, grace, benefit, gift, pity, leniency, tenderness

Matched Categories

1. • Blessing
   • Compassion
   • Humaneness
   • Leniency
   • Relief

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. clemency, mercifulness, mercynoun

   leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice

   "he threw himself on the mercy of the court"

   Synonyms:
   mildness, clemency, mercifulness

2. mercifulness, mercynoun

   a disposition to be kind and forgiving

   "in those days a wife had to depend on the mercifulness of her husband"

   Synonyms:
   clemency, mercifulness

3. mercifulness, mercynoun

   the feeling that motivates compassion

   Synonyms:
   clemency, mercifulness

4. mercynoun

   something for which to be thankful

   "it was a mercy we got out alive"

   Synonyms:
   clemency, mercifulness

5. mercynoun

   alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed

   "distributing food and clothing to the flood victims was an act of mercy"

   Synonyms:
   clemency, mercifulness

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. mercynoun

   Antonyms:
   revenge, implacability, inclemency, incompassion

   Synonyms:
   clemency, pity, lenity, leniency, lenience, compassion, forgiveness, placability, discretion, disposal, blessing, favor

How to use mercy in a sentence?

1. Sandeep Aggarwal:

   AI is a paradigm shift. Hope we embrace it vs on the mercy of others. It is automation raise to the power infinity and much more...

2. Milan Kundera:

   Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.

3. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan:

   The business world is where they are the strongest. We will cut off all business links, all revenues of Gulen-linked business. We are not going to show anyone any mercy.

4. Frank Atwood:

   Thank you precious father for coming today and shepherding me into the faith. I want to thank my beautiful wife who has loved me with everything she has, i pray the Lord will have mercy on all of us and that the Lord will have mercy on me.

5. John Dryden:

   Reason to rule but mercy to forgive The first is the law, the last prerogative.

How to pronounce mercy?

How to say mercy in sign language?

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