mercifully
In a lenient manner
Mercifully means in a merciful manner—with compassion or leniency: The judge mercifully reduced the sentence.
More commonly, it expresses relief that something unpleasant was avoided or cut short: Mercifully, the meeting ended early.
In this second sense, the word signals gratitude for an outcome that could have been worse.
Warmly, with goodwill
- gentlyIn a mild manner
- tenderlyWith gentle care
- humanelyWith benevolent consideration
- benevolentlyIn a kindhearted manner
graciously · charitably · sympathetically · understandingly · forgivingly · leniently · clemently · generously
With grateful relief
- gratefullyWith thankful acknowledgment
- fortunatelyBy favorable circumstance
- blessedlyIn a fortunate way
- providentiallyBy fortunate chance
luckily · happily · blissfully · refreshingly · welcomely · reassuringly · comfortingly · soothingly
With little weight
- mildlyIn a gentle way
- gentlyIn a mild manner
- sparinglyIn limited amounts
- moderatelyTo a limited degree
temperately · measuredly · softly · delicately · subtly · painlessly · bloodlessly · harmlessly
kindly
Warmly, with goodwill
benevolently · graciously · charitably · sympathetically · understandingly · forgivingly · leniently · clemently · generously · warmly
thankfully
With grateful relief
- gratefullyWith thankful acknowledgment
- fortunatelyBy favorable circumstance
- blessedlyIn a fortunate way
providentially · luckily · happily · blissfully · refreshingly · welcomely · reassuringly · comfortingly · soothingly · peacefully
lightly
With little weight
moderately · temperately · measuredly · softly · delicately · subtly · painlessly · bloodlessly · harmlessly · innocuously
quickly
At high speed
rapidly · promptly · speedily · hastily · fleetingly · momentarily · abruptly · suddenly · curtly · concisely
- sentence adverbsobviously, certainly, probably, possibly, perhaps
- devout adverbsdevoutly, piously, reverently, religiously, faithfully
mercifullycruelly
In a harsh, pitiless manner
mercilessly · ruthlessly · harshly · brutally · pitilessly
mercifullyunfortunately
Expressing bad luck
sadly · regrettably · tragically · unhappily · lamentably