Meanings
comparative more unrelenting · superlative most unrelenting
- Not relenting; not yielding in strength, severity, or determination.
There’s faith in their unrelenting woes, / There’s Life in the Old Land yet!
1908, James Ryder Randall, “There’s Life in the Old Land Yet”, in Maryland, my Maryland, and other poems, Baltimore, Md.; New York: John Murphy Company, page 23Synonyms: unyielding, brutal, hard, harsh, stern, cruel, relentless
- Having no pity; not being or becoming lenient, mild, gentle, or merciful.
Tears may not bring again Sardathrion. But this the gods may do who have seen, and seen with unrelenting eyes, the sorrows of ten thousand worlds—thy gods may weep for thee.
1906, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], Time and the Gods, London: William Heineman, →OCLC, page 5
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveNot relenting; not yielding in strength, severity, or determination.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivenot to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
adjectivenever-ceasing
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-
- Englishrelenting
- Englishunrelenting
Translations
Bulgarian непримирим
- непримирим (neprimirim)not relenting
Catalan despietat, implacable
- despietatnot relenting
- implacablenot relenting
Chinese Mandarin 不松懈的
- 不松懈的not relenting
Dutch meedogenloos
- meedogenloosnot relenting
Finnish armoton, heltymätön
- armotonnot relenting
- heltymätönnot relenting
- leppymätönnot relenting
French implacable, impitoyable
- implacablenot relenting
- impitoyablenot relenting
German unerbittlich, unnachgiebig
- unerbittlichnot relenting
- unnachgiebignot relenting
- unnachlässignot relenting
- erbarmungsloshaving no pity
- gnadenloshaving no pity
Indonesian tidak berampun
- tidak berampunnot relenting
Italian spietato, implacabile
- spietatonot relenting
- implacabilenot relenting
Māori papahueke
- papahuekenot relenting
Polish bezwzględny, surowy
- bezwzględnynot relenting
- surowynot relenting
- nieugiętynot relenting
- bezlitosnyhaving no pity
- nieubłaganyhaving no pity
Portuguese implacável, rigoroso
- implacávelnot relenting
- rigorosonot relenting
- severonot relenting
Spanish no cediente, implacable
- no cedientenot relenting
- implacablenot relenting
- incesantenot relenting
- imparablenot relenting
- constantenot relenting
Cite this entry
unrelenting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unrelenting
“unrelenting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unrelenting. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unrelenting,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unrelenting.
Source: unrelenting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.