| 释义 |
unˈmerciful, a.
[un-1 7.]
Merciless.
1. Of persons: Having or exhibiting no mercy.
1481Caxton Reynard (Arb.) 37 He was alway to hem vnmercyful. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 167 b, The vn⁓mercifull pagans and cruel Turkes. 1584Constable Sonn. vii. vii, Seeke with humble prayer Meanes how to mooue th' unmercifullest fayre. 1631High Commission Cases (Camden) 231 Though he be unmercifull to us olde men, yet we are..mercifull to him. 1667Decay Chr. Piety viii. ⁋47 There are indeed no such unmerciful exactors as our own lusts. 1711Swift Jrnl. Stella 7 June, Why this same Stella is so unmerciful a writer, she has hardly left any room for Dingley. a1770Chatterton Battle of Hastings 427 A wight unmercifull. 1825J. Neal Bro. Jonathan III. 250 Any female..unmerciful to those who had gone astray.
transf.a1586Sidney Arcadia i. xiii, The unmercifull Sea deprived me of my company.
absol.1795Southey Joan of Arc i. 445 Will not God In sunder smite the unmerciful, and break The sceptre of the wicked?
2. Of actions, etc.: Devoid of the quality of mercy.
1549Compl. Scot i. 23 The..distructione of oure nobil barrons..be cruel ande onmercyful slauthyr. 1582Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 18 Shee bears..that sept vnmerciful hatred. 1621J. Taylor (Water P.) Unnat. Father Wks. (1630) 140/2 Weeping teares of pitilesse pity, and vnmercifull mercy. 1677Wycherley Pl. Dealer iv. i, When a Lover's hopes Are dead,..Life is unmerciful. 1758Johnson Idler No. 14 ⁋10 Some stop might be put to this unmerciful prosecution. 1778F. Burney Evelina lxi, Her un⁓merciful propensity to satire. 1846A. Marsh Father Darcy II. x. 170 He had resolved..upon a course of the most unmerciful policy.
3. Unsparing; excessive in amount, etc.
1706E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 69 Knock'd down by an unmerciful Bowl of Punch or two. 1710Steele Tatler No. 207 ⁋2 There was no enduring that this Fop should outshine us all at this unmerciful Rate. 1811A. Clarke Kneeling Wks. 1837 XI. 340 In addition to the injury I sustained by his unmerciful prayer, I had the following reproof. 1835T. Mitchell Acharn. of Aristoph. App. 252 note, Explain them he accordingly does at the same unmerciful length as he does every other topic.
Hence † unˈmercifulhead. Obs.
c1440Jacob's Well 256 Ryȝtwysnesse may noȝt helpe þe..in þin vnkyndenesse, in þin vnmercyfulhed. |