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at the mercy of

at the mer·cy of
A a

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [at stressed th ee mur-see uhv, ov]
    • /æt stressed ði ˈmɜr si ʌv, ɒv/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [at stressed th ee mur-see uhv, ov]
    • /æt stressed ði ˈmɜr si ʌv, ɒv/

Definitions of at the mercy of words

  • noun at the mercy of in the power of 3
  • noun at the mercy of completely in the power of 3
  • noun plural at the mercy of compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner. 1
  • noun plural at the mercy of the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: an adversary wholly without mercy. 1
  • noun plural at the mercy of the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty. 1
  • noun plural at the mercy of an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors. 1
See all 11 definitions of at the mercy of

Information block about the term

Origin of at the mercy of

First appearance:

before 1125
One of the 6% oldest English words
1125-75; Middle English merci < Old French, earlier mercit < Latin mercēd- (stem of mercēs) wages (Late Latin, Medieval Latin: heavenly reward), derivative of merx goods

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for At the mercy of

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of At the mercy of

at the mercy of popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 95% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

at the mercy of usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for at the mercy of

adjective at the mercy of

  • dependent — To be dependent on something or someone means to need them in order to succeed or be able to survive.
Just one Synonym for at the mercy of

See also

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