Preposition: as

• man: The debt will be transferred to someone else, but no-one else could be so merciless as the man who has died.

Modifies a noun

• killer: A showdown between a cop who won't play by the rules and a merciless killer unfolds as things get more personal.

• criticism: I read the marvel to my cousin Benjamin; from whom I received infliction the first of merciless criticism.

• struggle: The mere self-preservation of the party demands a merciless struggle against such defilement.

• sea: I miss my family so much, but they probably think I'm dead and at the bottom of the merciless sea.

• war: Any decision imposed on the people by a cruel and merciless war will only increase the problems a hundred fold.

• retribution: You'll find everything you need to exact merciless retribution upon anyone in the pages of this handy, illustrated book.

Modifying Another Word

• utterly: They need to bring in a specialist, someone fearless, uncompromising and utterly merciless in pursuit of the objective.

• so: Ours is such an unkind world, such an unkind society, so angry, so hostile, so merciless.

• absolutely: It's a good job too, as your enemies are absolutely merciless.

• pretty: Gentleman would be pretty merciless if the answers were drafted and they turned out to be inaccurate.

• equally: He was equally merciless in castigating friends and enemies, foreigners and widows.

• almost: It seems almost merciless and future generations will say it would be wrong not to.