Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

merciless

/ˈmɝsɪləs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.04 in modern English

Syllables: mer-ci-less
IPA: /ˈmɝsɪləs/

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Showing no mercy; cruel and pitiless.

Example Sentences

"The sun is merciless today, so please take care of yourself."
"But the ruthless cleaning up of those streets and merciless treatment of gang members have triggered outrage and concern among human rights organizations, which have condemned Cecot as inhumane and unacceptable."

Etymology

From Middle English merciles, mercyles, equivalent to mercy + -less.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: merciles

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmɝsɪləs/
British English: /ˈmɜːsɪləs/

Inflected Forms

more merciless (comparative) most merciless (superlative)

Derived Forms

mercilessly mercilessness unmerciless

Synonyms

unmerciful cruel pitiless ruthless barbarous bowelless brutal compassionless flagitious demonic despiteful diabolic

Antonyms

merciful

Questions

How do you pronounce merciless?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɝsɪləs/.
What does merciless mean?: Showing no mercy; cruel and pitiless.
Where does merciless come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce merciless

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “merciless”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɝsɪləs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “merciless”.
Repeat and practice — Say “merciless” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.