merci-

Liable to be punished or penalized: Jack knew that he would be amerceable if he traveled by train to visit his sister without buying a train ticket first.

1. An old fashioned word or expression to indicate thankfulness: The host for the graduation ceremony used many gramercies to express her appreciation for the speaker and her message to the students.
2. Etymology: exclamation of thanks or surprise, from Old French grand-merci, "great thanks".

Pertaining to a person showing compassion and forgivingness: Mrs. Smart, Jimmy's teacher, was merciful and compassionate when he told her that he didn't finish his homework because his dog died.

Concerning how something has been acted upon in a compassionate way: Mercifully a young man came by and helped the elderly and blind lady cross the street.

1. The disposition or nature of a person to be considerate and forgiving: Mary's mother showed mercifulness and tenderness when her daughter accidentally dropped the beautiful plate when drying it in the kitchen.
2. The feeling that inspires sympathy and understanding: When Jill saw the homeless person sitting on the sidewalk in the city, mercifulness and pity overcame her and she gave the tired looking individual some money and some hot tea to drink.
3. Compassion and leniency which is shown toward a criminal by someone, or an administrative unit, having authority and power regarding justice: Mercifulness and amnesty was put into effect by the teacher to pardon Tommy, the offender, for his misdeed of accidentally pushing his friend to the ground.

Referring to an individual or, figuratively speaking, to something that is very cruel or resolute; unfeeling; hard-hearted: The weather turned quickly into dark clouds and sever showers, being merciless and pouring down on the outdoor wedding reception in the garden.

Concerning how someone behaves ruthlessly or disdainfully; remorselessly: The bully on the playground at school treated his schoolmates mercilessly by kicking them, tormenting them, and never showing any kindness.

1. The quality of being cruel, ruthless, and severe: In the children's story Little Red Riding Hood, mercilessness was shown by the witch when she kept Hans captive until he was fat enough to eat, but, luckily, wasn't eaten after all in the end!
2. The inhumanity shown towards others by unwillingness to be forgiving or sympathetic: Sad to say, but Sam's disposition displayed complete mercilessness when playing cards with his little sister because he never let her win a game and always laughed at her when she lost.

1. Characterizing someone's behavior or mood as being flighty or unpredictable: Suddenly, without warning, Janet was really mercurial and completely changed her mind and decided not to take the others to the movie in her car.
2. Referring to a person who is bright, lively, and quick: Tom's English teacher was quite mercurial because she always kept the attention of all the students with her witty comments and very animated examples of the terms she was explaining.

Concerning how a person's thoughts, actions, or behaviors change in an inconsistent or irresolute manner: The lawyer was quite wary of Mr. Gregson, whose opinions varied mercurially, depending on his mood towards the issue at hand.

1. A situation which induces happiness or causes relief: The family thought it was a mercy that their grandmother didn't have to suffer long and she passed away rapidly with hardly any pain.
2. Forgiveness or compassion shown by someone in authority: In the story, the king had mercy on the poor young girl and didn't condemn her to death.
3. The assuagement of pain and grief: Kindness, charity and goodness were shown by the volunteers when they distributed food and medication to the victims of the earthquake, and this was termed as an act of mercy.

1. Relating to persons or things that are cruel, unkind, and uncaring: The teenagers were showing unmerciful behavior when they were harming the birds and their nests near the river.
2. Exceeding a normal limit; extreme: The sun and heat of the desert were totally unmerciful and relentless, beating down on the heads of the people trying to enjoy the view.

Descriptive of how a person or a thing is active or functioning in a remorseless way; without pity: The vacant building was stifling, the windows were all closed tightly, the electricity was shut off, and it was unmercifully and blisteringly hot inside.

Inhumaneness revealed by a reluctance or refusal to be considerate, friendly, or forgiving: Unmercifulness is also shown by pitilessness, relentlessness, and ruthlessness.

Pertaining to someone who is utterly hard, heartless, and unforgiving: Sam was unmerciless in trying to kill the mosquito that was bothering him with its high-pitched whining sound while he was striving to sleep.