Definitions for mercy
ˈmɜr simer·cy

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 8 votes)Rate this definition:

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"

2. mercifulness, mercynoun

   a disposition to be kind and forgiving

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

3. mercifulness, mercynoun

   the feeling that motivates compassion

4. mercynoun

   something for which to be thankful

   "it was a mercy we got out alive"

5. mercynoun

   alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed

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

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. mercynoun

   relenting; forbearance to cause or allow harm to another

   She took mercy on him and quit embarrassing him.

2. mercynoun

   forgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.

   Have mercy on the poor and assist them if you can.

3. mercynoun

   A tendency toward forgiveness, pity, or compassion

   Mercy is one of his many virtues.

4. mercynoun

   Instances of forbearance or forgiveness.

   Psalms 40:11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord

5. mercynoun

   A blessing, something to be thankful for.

   It was a mercy that we were not inside when the roof collapsed

6. Mercynoun

   A female given name from English, one of the less common Puritan virtue names.

   Mr Pecksniff was a moral man — a grave man, a man of noble sentiments and speech — and he had had her christened Mercy. Mercy! oh, what a charming name for such a pure–souled Being as the youngest Miss Pecksniff! Her sister’s name was Charity. There was a good thing! Mercy and Charity!

7. Etymology: From merci, from merci (compare merci, mercit), from mercedem, accusative of merces, from merx. Displaced native Middle English are, ore "mercy" (from Old English ar "mercy, grace"), Middle English mildse "mercy, clemency" (from Old English milds, milts "mercy, kindness").

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. MERCYnoun

   Etymology: merci, French, contracted from misericordia, Latin.

   1. Tenderness; goodness; pity; willingness to save; clemency; mildness; unwillingness to punish.

   Oh heav’n have mercy on me!
   —— I say, amen.
   And have you mercy too? William Shakespeare.

   Mercy is not strain’d;
   It droppeth, as the gentle rain from heav’n,
   Upon the place beneath. It is twice bless’d;
   It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. William Shakespeare.

   Arise, and have mercy upon Zion. Psal. cii. 13.

   Thou, O God, art gracious, long-suffering, and in mercy ordering all. Wisd. xv. 1.

   Examples of justice must be made for terror to some; examples of mercy for comfort to others: the one procures fear, and the other love. Francis Bacon, Advice to Villiers.

   Good heav’n, whose darling attribute we find
   Is boundless grace, and mercy to mankind,
   Abhors the cruel. Dryden.

   We adore his undeserved mercy towards us, that he made us the chief of the visible creation. Richard Bentley, Sermons.

   2. Pardon.

   ’Twere a paper lost,
   As offer’d mercy is. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.

   Cry mercy lords,
   That you have ta’en a tardy sluggard here. William Shakespeare.

   I cry thee mercy with all my heart, for suspecting a friar of the least good-nature. John Dryden, Spanish Friar.

   3. Discretion; power of acting at pleasure.

   Condition!
   What good condition can a treaty find
   I’ th’ part that is at mercy? William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

   The most authentick record of so ancient a family should lie at the mercy of every infant who flings a stone. Alexander Pope.

   A lover is ever complaining of cruelty while any thing is denied him; and when the lady ceases to be cruel, she is, from the next moment, at his mercy. Jonathan Swift.

Webster Dictionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Mercynoun

   forbearance to inflict harm under circumstances of provocation, when one has the power to inflict it; compassionate treatment of an offender or adversary; clemency

2. Mercynoun

   compassionate treatment of the unfortunate and helpless; sometimes, favor, beneficence

3. Mercynoun

   disposition to exercise compassion or favor; pity; compassion; willingness to spare or to help

4. Mercynoun

   a blessing regarded as a manifestation of compassion or favor

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Mercy

   Mercy is a broad term that refers to benevolence, forgiveness and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social and legal contexts. The concept of a "Merciful God" appears in various religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Performing acts of mercy as a component of religious beliefs is also emphasized through actions such as the giving of alms, and care for the sick and Works of Mercy. In the social and legal context, mercy may refer both to compassionate behavior on the part of those in power, or on the part of a humanitarian third party, e.g., a mission of mercy aiming to treat war victims.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Mercy

   mėr′si, n. tenderness and forbearance shown in sparing an offender in one's power: a forgiving disposition: clemency: an act of mercy: an undeserved blessing: compassion or benevolence.—adjs. Mer′ciable (Spens.), merciful; Mer′ciful, full of, or exercising, mercy.—adv. Mer′cifully.—n. Mer′cifulness.—v.t. Mer′cify (Spens.), to deal mercifully with, to pity.—adj. Mer′ciless, without mercy: unfeeling: cruel.—adv. Mer′cilessly.—ns. Mer′cilessness, want of mercy; Mer′cy-seat, the seat or place of mercy; the covering of the Jewish Ark of the Covenant: the throne of God.—At the mercy of (another), wholly in the power of; For mercy! or For mercy's sake! an exclamatory appeal to pity; Great mercy=Gramercy; Sisters of mercy, members of female religious communities who tend the sick, &c. [Fr. merci, grace—L. merces, mercedis, pay, in later L. also 'favour.']

The Roycroft Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. mercy

   1. The charity of tyrants. 2. The forgiveness of one scoundrel by another. 3. The culmination of the Will-to-Power and its final apotheosis. 4. A quality which, like soup, the more it is strained the less soup and the more water you have. 5. In war a universal mode of subjugating a people.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. mercy

   Song lyrics by mercy -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by mercy on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

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

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'mercy' in Nouns Frequency: #2756

How to pronounce mercy?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say mercy in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of mercy in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of mercy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of mercy in a Sentence

1. Marty Lenss:

   The Travel Well program will provide an efficient approach to screening passengers and employees, mercy established the protocols at their hospital and clinics as part of its COVID-19 response to ensure the safety of its staff and patients.

2. Thomas Nash:

   Beauty is but a flower,Which wrinkles will devourBrightness falls from the airQueens have died young and fairDust hath closed Helen's eye.I am sick, I must dieLord have mercy on us.

3. Pope Francis:

   The people who had the responsibility to take care of these tender ones violated that trust and caused them great pain, those who have survived this abuse have become true heralds of mercy. Humbly we owe each of them our gratitude for their great value, as they have had to suffer terrible abuse, sexual abuse of minors.

4. Alexis karpouzos:

   And this that we call life, it is no more than the opening and closing of a eye a crevice in the unborn through which there shone a beam of light. Perhaps we are only here to say, live in the mercy of the enkindles immensity.

5. Ilya Yashin:

   We will not depart from the country and leave it in the mercy of 'crooks and thieves'.

Popularity rank by frequency of use