adj
Meaning 1
Unwilling or unable to forgive or show mercy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The electorate was in an unforgiving mood.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
unforgiving
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET: AH0 N F ER0 G IH1 V IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Having no allowance for weakness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
- The unforgiving Arctic climate makes short work of the unprepared.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
present participle and gerund of unforgive
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 4
unwilling or unable to forgive or show mercy
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a surly unforgiving old woman
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: forgiving
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- grim determination
- grim necessity
- Russia's final hour, it seemed, approached with inexorable certainty
- relentless persecution
- the stern demands of parenthood
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: grim, inexorable, relentless, stern, unappeasable, unrelenting
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English forgiving English unforgiving From un- + forgiving.
From unforgive + -ing.
Across languages
Translations
16 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bengali: ক্ষমাহীন (khômahīn) — not forgiving
- Bulgarian: непрощаващ (neproštavašt) — not forgiving
- Catalan: inclement — not forgiving
- Dutch: onverzoenlijk — not forgiving
- Dutch: meedogenloos — not forgiving
- Dutch: onverbiddelijk — not forgiving
- Esperanto: senpardona — not forgiving
- Finnish: anteeksiantamaton — not forgiving
- Finnish: pitkävihainen — not forgiving
- Finnish: kaunainen — not forgiving
- French: impitoyable — not forgiving
- French: implacable — not forgiving
- German: gnadenlos — not forgiving
- Māori: whakakaitoa — not forgiving
- Polish: pamiętliwy — not forgiving
- Polish: bezpardonowy — not forgiving
Real reading context