merciless
gb/mˈɚsələs/ us/mˈɚsələs/
B2
Inglês
~ 9500
könyörtelen, irgalmatlan, kíméletlen
B2
1
könyörtelen
B2
irgalmatlan
C1
Padrão de uso:
[someone] is merciless (to/toward [someone])
The merciless guards laughed as the prisoners begged for water.
A könyörtelen őrök nevettek, miközben a rabok vízért könyörögtek.
Online trolls launched a merciless campaign against the young actor.
Az internetes trollok könyörtelen kampányt indítottak a fiatal színész ellen.
The coach was merciless with players who showed a bad attitude.
A merciless dictator crushed any sign of protest in the country.
Her merciless questioning left the witness shaken and exhausted.
Exemplos para aprendentes
The teacher was not merciless; she gave the students another chance.
A tanár nem volt könyörtelen; adott még egy esélyt a diákoknak.
The soldier was merciless and showed no pity to his enemies.
A katona könyörtelen volt, és nem mutatott irgalmat az ellenségei iránt.
The boss can be merciless when employees are late.
The bully was merciless and hurt the younger kids every day.
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use "merciless" when they only mean "strict". "Merciless" is stronger and suggests being very cruel, with no pity, not just following rules carefully. Also, do not say "more merciless" in most cases; use "even more cruel" instead, or just "absolutely merciless".
Significado
Showing no mercy or pity
Colocações
a merciless killer
|a merciless dictator
|merciless attack
|merciless beating
|merciless bullying
|merciless war
Sinónimos
cruel (General word for causing pain or suffering without caring; slightly more common and basic than "merciless".)
|
ruthless (Stresses doing whatever is needed to succeed, with no concern for others' feelings; often used in business or competition.)
|
pitiless (Very close in meaning; slightly more literary and strongly emphasizes the total lack of pity.)
Antónimos
merciful (Direct opposite; stresses showing kindness or forgiveness when you could be harsh.)
|
compassionate (Focuses on feeling and showing sympathy for others’ suffering, the emotional opposite of being merciless.)
|
lenient (Opposite in contexts of punishment or discipline, meaning not as strict or harsh as you could be.)
Temas
emotions
|conflict
|character
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definição
Not showing any kindness or pity to other people.
Showing no mercy, pity, or compassion, especially in the way someone treats another person.
B2
2
kíméletlen
B2
könyörtelen
B2
Padrão de uso:
merciless [weather/pressure/heat/schedule]
We walked for hours under the merciless heat of the desert sun.
Órákon át gyalogoltunk a sivatagi nap kíméletlen hőségében.
The exam schedule is merciless, with no breaks between the toughest tests.
A vizsgarend kíméletlen, a legnehezebb vizsgák között nincs szünet.
Start‑ups face merciless competition in the tech industry.
The deadline was merciless, forcing the team to work through the night.
Years of merciless pressure finally caused him to burn out.
Exemplos para aprendentes
We worked all day in merciless heat.
Egész nap kíméletlen hőségben dolgoztunk.
The students face merciless pressure before the final exam.
A diákokra kíméletlen nyomás nehezedik a záróvizsga előtt.
The company has a merciless schedule during the busy season.
The sun was merciless and there was no shade.
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse this sense with the personal, "cruel" sense and avoid using it for weather or schedules. In modern English it is common and natural to call things like heat, pressure, or competition "merciless" to show they are very harsh and do not let you rest.
Significado
Extremely harsh and relentless
Colocações
merciless heat
|merciless sun
|merciless schedule
|merciless workload
|merciless pressure
|merciless pace
Sinónimos
relentless (Very close meaning; stresses that something never stops or eases up.)
|
harsh (Less strong and more general; can describe many unpleasant conditions, not always as extreme as "merciless".)
|
brutal (Informal but common; suggests very severe or painful conditions, similar emotional strength to "merciless".)
Antónimos
mild (Opposite when talking about weather or levels of difficulty; suggests gentle and not strong.)
|
gentle (Opposite when talking about treatment or conditions that are soft, kind, or not severe.)
Temas
weather
|work
|difficulty
|core_vocabulary
Definição
Very strong and harsh in a way that does not stop or give relief, for example heat, work, or pressure.
Extremely harsh, severe, and unrelenting, especially when describing conditions, forces, or processes rather than people.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
merciless
IPA
GB/mˈɚsələs/
US/mˈɚsələs/
Sílabas e acento
mer - ci - less (3 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (mer)
Formas da palavra
Adjective
- Base: merciless
Família de palavras
Expressões
merciless attack
1/mˈɚsələs ətˈæk/
fixed phrase
A very brutal attack
An attack that is very violent and gives no chance for the other side to escape or rest.
Exemplos
- The village was destroyed in a merciless attack at dawn.
- The team launched a merciless attack on their opponent’s weak defense.
merciless criticism
1/mˈɚsələs kɹˈɪtɪsˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
Extremely harsh criticism
Very strong and harsh comments about someone or something, with no kindness or softness.
Exemplos
- The movie received merciless criticism from reviewers.
- After his mistake, he faced merciless criticism on social media.
merciless heat
1/mˈɚsələs hˈit/
fixed phrase
Extremely strong, harsh heat
Heat that is very strong and does not let you feel cool or comfortable.
Exemplos
- We tried to work in the field despite the merciless heat.
- Tourists hid in cafés to escape the merciless heat of the afternoon sun.