Mercy
noun /ˈmɜːsi/ — Compassionate treatment of someone in one's power — the choice not to punish when punishment would be justified.
Definition
Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm; an act of kindness, compassion, or favor.
Beyond the definition
Mercy is the active choice not to use the power you have — it requires that you could punish and that you don't. This is what makes it different from kindness (which makes no such calculation). Mercy is exercised from strength, not weakness.
Origin & history
From Old French merci — reward, pity (from Latin merces: reward, from merx: goods). From 'payment' to 'kindness' — mercy as the gift beyond what was owed.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The judge showed mercy — the sentence was lighter than the law allowed.
She asked for mercy in the most practical sense: time, not forgiveness.
Mercy is not justice's opposite; it is its complement — what comes when justice has been fully reckoned with.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Mercy” when the meaning fits your context: Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm; an act of kindness, compassion, or favor.
Synonyms
compassion, clemency, leniency, grace, forgiveness
Antonyms
cruelty, harshness, vengeance
Related words
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Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Helping to Repair Damage
Neighbours work together to stake a bent plant in a courtyard scattered with broken branches and a cracked planter.
The neighbours' efforts to repair the damaged garden symbolize mercy. By choosing to help, they show kindness and compassion toward the damaged environment, demonstrating their power to rectify ruin rather than leaving the broken pieces to their fate.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Mercy" mean?
Mercy is noun meaning: Compassionate treatment of someone in one's power — the choice not to punish when punishment would be justified.. Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm; an act of kindness, compassion, or favor.
Where does the word "Mercy" come from?
From Old French merci — reward, pity (from Latin merces: reward, from merx: goods). From 'payment' to 'kindness' — mercy as the gift beyond what was owed.