Meanings
unbowed1
comparative more unbowed · superlative most unbowed
- figurativelyNot subdued or deterred.
Unbowed after two years in jail, nine of the defendants boycotted the trial, refusing even to talk to their lawyers.
1998 July 3, James Brooke, “Anti-Government Freemen Are Found Guilty of Fraud”, in New York Times, retrieved 08 Aug 20121 more example
It created an indelible image and captured the essence of Trump’s MAGA movement: under attack but defiant, bloody but unbowed.
2024 July 15, Charles M. Blow, “How the Attempted Assassination of Trump Could Change the Campaign”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
unbowed2
- participlepastsimple past and past participle of unbow
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivenot forced to bow down to a conqueror
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Germanic*un-
- Proto-West Germanic*un-
- Old Englishun-
- Middle Englishun-
- Englishun-
- Englishbowed
- Englishunbowed
Translations
Bulgarian непокорен
- непокорен (nepokoren)not subdued or deterred
French insoumis
- insoumisnot subdued or deterred
German aufrecht
- aufrechtnot subdued or deterred
Greek αγονάτιστος
- αγονάτιστος (agonátistos)not subdued or deterred
Russian непокорённый
- непокорённый (nepokorjónnyj)not subdued or deterred
Spanish no prosternado
- no prosternadonot bowed
Ukrainian непідко́рений
- непідко́рений (nepidkórenyj)not subdued or deterred
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with unbowed
Anagrams
Cite this entry
unbowed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unbowed
“unbowed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unbowed. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unbowed,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unbowed.
Source: unbowed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.