Judged: two independent readers; copy check clear.

mercy

mercy Mercy is a character trait that leads a person to lessen penalties that could justly be imposed for wrongdoing.

Mercy is a character trait that leads a person to lessen penalties that could justly be imposed for wrongdoing. In the source, it is contrasted with justice because it softens what is deserved, and distinguished from compassion because compassion responds mainly to suffering rather than to blameworthiness.

Also see

Sources

Drafting source: Baldwin Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1901. 1901 New York Macmillan original; archive index checked 2026-10-18. “Mercy” (Mercy).
public-domain-US · Definition uses new wording; original source retains its stated licence. · Source snapshot SHA-256: 8b32490691ea7d2008386303c38e89e7095b53d77b856c9b583bc3707f6416f3

These citations identify the drafting sources. 2/2 independent reader passes against the pinned source packet. The drafter does not count as a reader. Source institutions do not endorse this dictionary.

Cite this entry

PsychTerms (psychterms.org), CC BY 4.0, version 1. “mercy.” Development preview.

Version 1 · SHA-256: 49aa8577b9cf48d9405da03b1939de9e25f60f5e7eb229804f504e6eab3372fa

Edit this entry on GitHub