Synonyms
- affectless
- callous
- case-hardened
- cold-blooded
- compassionless
- desensitized
- hard
- hard-boiled
- hard-hearted
- heartless
- indurate
- inhuman
- inhumane
- insensate
- insensitive
- ironhearted
- obdurate
- pachydermatous
- pitiless
- remorseless
- ruthless
- slash-and-burn
- soulless
- stony
- stoney
- stonyhearted
- take-no-prisoners
- thick-skinned
- uncharitable
- unfeeling
- unmerciful
- unsparing
- unsympathetic
Examples of merciless in a Sentence
the merciless killing of innocent people
He has been merciless in his criticism of his opponent.
Recent Examples on the Web
But that’s often deemed worth it in a merciless age of high-def TVs and zoomable photos on social media.
—
Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Aug. 2024
Hartnett has to make the character believable as both a supportive father and a merciless murderer.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2024
Under DeMint, the group became merciless in its attacks on rank-and-file Republican lawmakers.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
Atop the merciless precision of an unforgiving sport, tack that.
—Chuck Culpepper, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for merciless 
Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Aug. 2024
Hartnett has to make the character believable as both a supportive father and a merciless murderer.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2024
Under DeMint, the group became merciless in its attacks on rank-and-file Republican lawmakers.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
Atop the merciless precision of an unforgiving sport, tack that.
—Chuck Culpepper, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for merciless
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'merciless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Merciless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merciless. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
merciless
adjective
mer·ci·less
ˈmər-si-ləs 
: having no mercy : pitiless
merciless slaughter
mercilessly
adverb
mercilessness
noun
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