Note: The translation for this entry is currently under quality review. Some content is temporarily displayed in English only.
mercy
This term describes a benevolent suspension of deserved punishment, emphasizing a power imbalance where the grantor holds total authority over the recipient. It carries a heavy emotional weight of grace and relief, often appearing in legal, religious, or royal contexts where a strict rule is waived in favor of compassion. As an uncountable noun, it refers to the abstract quality of forgiveness. However, when referring to a specific event or instance of relief, it can function as a countable noun, though it is more frequently used in the singular to describe a general state of being spared.
Meanings
Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.
"The prisoner begged the king for mercy."
A merciful or beneficial event, person, or circumstance that provides relief from suffering.
"It was a mercy that the accident happened at a low speed."
The quality of being compassionate and forgiving.
"The judge showed great mercy in his sentencing."