merciful
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merciful
Compassionate and willing to forgive others or help them in their distress, rather than punish or condemn them.
Der Richter zeigte sich barmherzig und verhängte nur eine milde Strafe.
The judge showed himself to be merciful and imposed only a mild sentence.
The word has an old origin and roughly means 'to have a heart for the poor.' The part 'barm' is related to 'arm' (in the sense of miserable, pitiable), and '-herzig' is derived from 'Herz' (heart).
Aus einer barmherzigen Laune heraus gab er dem Bettler etwas Geld.
Out of a merciful mood, he gave the beggar some money.
'Barmherzig' (merciful) is a rather formal and elevated word. It often has a moral or religious connotation and is used more often in written language than in everyday conversation.
In der Bibel wird Gott oft als barmherzig beschrieben.
In the Bible, God is often described as merciful.
The adjective often describes people with power or authority, e.g. 'ein barmherziger Richter' (a merciful judge), or their actions, such as 'eine barmherzige Tat' (a merciful act) or 'ein barmherziges Urteil' (a merciful judgment). It can also be used with the preposition 'mit' (with).
Der König war barmherzig mit den Gefangenen und ließ sie frei.
The king was merciful with the prisoners and set them free.
merciful / gracious
Both words can express compassionate leniency toward someone who is guilty. Gnädig emphasizes that a powerful authority waives or reduces a punishment. Barmherzig, by contrast, emphasizes compassion for the affected person's distress, which leads to help or forgiveness.
Der Richter war barmherzig und vergab dem Angeklagten aus Mitgefühl mit seiner Not.
The judge was compassionate and forgave the defendant out of sympathy for his distress.
Der Richter war gnädig und milderte die Strafe des Angeklagten.
The judge was merciful and reduced the defendant's sentence.
