adj.
Full of mercy; compassionate: sought merciful treatment for the captives. See synonyms at humane.
mercifully mer'ci·ful·ly adv.
mercifulness mer'ci·ful·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.