1
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
she went into an unmerciful level of detail about her latest health problems
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
the critics were unmerciful in their assessments of the young actress's performance
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unmerciful
Yet viewers admire Oz’s aptitude to survive, his unmerciful resolve.
—
Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024
His take on Prince Philip is both humanizing and unmerciful, cutting to the bone of a man portrayed in contradictory terms — petulant yet statesmanlike, intensely ambitious yet ineffectual, relatable one minute and contemptible the next.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 30 July 2024
The temperature climbed as more gas pushed and compressed itself into the small space, and the heat became unmerciful, exacerbated by the syrupy sensation of the increasingly dense atmosphere.
—Rachel Lance, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
What hit viewers, then and now, with the strength of an unmerciful iceberg is how entirely uncynical this movie is.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2022
How have Willis and Kastor excelled for 20 years and more in that unmerciful context?
—Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2021
Trying to end an unmerciful beating, Astudillo haplessly threw three pitches to Mercedes that were all called balls (and that averaged about 45 mph).
—Scott Jennings, CNN, 20 May 2021
Reaction to the couple's decision was swift and unmerciful.
—Danielle Campoamor, refinery29.com, 7 May 2021
Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024
His take on Prince Philip is both humanizing and unmerciful, cutting to the bone of a man portrayed in contradictory terms — petulant yet statesmanlike, intensely ambitious yet ineffectual, relatable one minute and contemptible the next.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 30 July 2024
The temperature climbed as more gas pushed and compressed itself into the small space, and the heat became unmerciful, exacerbated by the syrupy sensation of the increasingly dense atmosphere.
—Rachel Lance, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
What hit viewers, then and now, with the strength of an unmerciful iceberg is how entirely uncynical this movie is.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2022
How have Willis and Kastor excelled for 20 years and more in that unmerciful context?
—Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2021
Trying to end an unmerciful beating, Astudillo haplessly threw three pitches to Mercedes that were all called balls (and that averaged about 45 mph).
—Scott Jennings, CNN, 20 May 2021
Reaction to the couple's decision was swift and unmerciful.
—Danielle Campoamor, refinery29.com, 7 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmerciful
Adjective
-
Their sponsors said they were aimed at reducing excessive regulatory burdens and federal spending, and safeguarding Medicaid and Medicare.—
Gabriella Borter,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
-
In a federal complaint, the lawyer Kivel argued the state’s penalties violated his client’s Eighth Amendment rights against excessive punishment.—
William Melhado,
Sacramento Bee,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Be ruthless with your time Top performers who guard their calendar like their bank account report higher satisfaction levels and better business outcomes.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Yet in 2016-17, free from midweek continental trips, Conte’s side stormed to the title with 93 points, spearheaded by a ruthless Diego Costa.—
Conor O'Neill,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Time after time, extreme pessimism has set the stage for outsized gains, on average, as evidenced by the 39 previous times where the number of Bulls has been equal to or less than the present tally.—
John Buckingham,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
-
For Rico Nasty, extreme was the name of the game, with some needlepoint glam by way of her acupuncturist.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The most intriguing of the Japanese cast is Kasamatsu (a principal character on Max’s Tokyo Vice) as Major Nakamura, a thoughtful man who seems resistant to Colonel Kota’s instruction to be more merciless.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
-
The temptation is too much for a merciless monarch to resist and she's briefed on the details of the team's counter-terrorism assignment.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Your voice is insane.—
Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com,
al,
4 Apr. 2023
-
The Republican and right-wing reaction is just insane.—
Michael Tomasky,
The New Republic,
31 Mar. 2023
Adjective
-
At first glance, the price tags for premium domains can seem steep, with some reaching seven figures.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
-
The trails to both falls have steep and rocky terrain that can be loose and slippery when wet.—
Krissy Waite,
The Mercury News,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
At the state banquet, Queen Letizia wore the extravagant diamond loop tiara.—
Julia Teti,
WWD,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Queen of the Castle – Takes viewers on a journey into the world of high-stakes luxury renovation as Canadian socialites Ann Kaplan Mulholland and her husband Stephen transform a thousand-year-old English castle into an extravagant retreat.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
While people browsing the open web are hit with paywall after paywall, those on social media are presented with an infinite scroll of content, algorithmically tuned to maximize their attention.—
Sergii Denysenko,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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All topics At the beginning of time and the center of every black hole lies a point of infinite density called a singularity.—
Lyndie Chiou,
Quanta Magazine,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unmerciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmerciful. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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