merciless
/ˈmɜːsɪləs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɜːrsɪləs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmər-si-ləs/ (ame, mw)
merciless — 形容詞
- mercilesspositive
- more mercilesscomparative
- most mercilesssuperlative
1. treating someone very harshly or cruelly, with no kindness or pity at all — for
殘酷；無情
毫無同情心，嚴厲苛刻
treating someone very harshly or cruelly, with no kindness or pity at all — for example, a ruler who punishes people without caring about their suffering, or a critic who attacks someone's work with no softness or sympathy
The warlord was merciless toward captured soldiers, offering no medical care or food.
軍閥對被俘的士兵毫不留情，不提供任何醫療或食物。
be merciless toward + person/group
Mei-Lin found her new manager merciless — he made her rewrite every report three times.
Mei-Lin 發現她的新主管很殘酷——他要求她把每份報告重寫三遍。
find [someone] + merciless
The village endured a merciless drought that dried up every well and river.
那個村莊遭受了殘酷的乾旱，所有水井和河流都乾涸了。
Critics were merciless toward the young actor's first film, calling it a complete failure.
影評人對那位年輕演員的首部電影毫不留情，稱其為徹底的失敗。
- ruthless
emphasizes a cold determination to get what you want, without caring who gets hurt; often used for business or politics
- pitiless
very close in meaning; stresses the complete absence of sympathy or compassion
- cruel
broader term; can describe deliberate enjoyment of others' pain or simply causing suffering
- heartless
more informal; suggests a lack of normal human feeling or caring
- merciful
showing kindness and forgiveness, especially toward someone you could punish
- compassionate
actively caring about others' suffering and wanting to help
- lenient
less strict or severe than expected, especially with rules or punishments
用法筆記
Can describe both people who deliberately cause suffering (a merciless dictator) and impersonal forces that cause hardship (a merciless sun, merciless budget cuts). Subject is a person, group, or natural force; the object of the harsh treatment is often introduced by toward or to.