UNFORGIVING: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for UNFORGIVING?

Need another word that means the same as “unforgiving”? Find 42 synonyms and 30 related words for “unforgiving” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Unforgiving” are: grim, inexorable, relentless, stern, unappeasable, unrelenting, hypercritical, overcritical, disapproving, condemnatory, condemning, denunciatory, deprecatory, disparaging, reproachful, reproving, captious, carping, full of reproof, vituperative, harsh, fierce, cruel, severe, strict, punishing, remorseless, merciless, pitiless, ruthless, unmerciful, unsparing, heartless, hard, stony, cold-blooded, unfeeling, uncaring, unsympathetic, uncharitable, lacking compassion, unpitying

Unforgiving as an Adjective

Definitions of "Unforgiving" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “unforgiving” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty.
• (of a place or situation) harsh or hostile.
• Not willing to forgive or excuse people's faults or wrongdoings.
• Unwilling or unable to forgive or show mercy.

Synonyms of "Unforgiving" as an adjective (42 Words)

captious	Tending to find and call attention to faults. A captious teacher.
carping	Continually complaining or finding fault about trivial matters; difficult to please. She has silenced the carping critics with a successful debut tour.
cold-blooded	Without compunction or human feeling.
condemnatory	Containing or imposing condemnation or censure. A condemnatory decree.
condemning	Containing or imposing condemnation or censure.
cruel	Causing pain or suffering. People who are cruel to animals.
denunciatory	Containing warning of punishment.
deprecatory	Tending to diminish or disparage. A deprecatory smile.
disapproving	Expressing or manifesting disapproval. He shot a disapproving glance at her.
disparaging	Expressing the opinion that something is of little worth; derogatory. Disparaging remarks about council houses.
fierce	Violently agitated and turbulent. Fierce loyalty.
full of reproof	Having the normally expected amount.
grim	(especially of a place) unattractive or forbidding. The outlook s pretty grim.
hard	Unfortunate or hard to bear. It s hard for drummers these days.
harsh	Sharply disagreeable; rigorous. Harsh irritating smoke filled the hallway.
heartless	Lacking in feeling or pity or warmth. Heartless thieves stole the pushchair of a two year old boy.
hypercritical	Excessively and unreasonably critical, especially of small faults. Hypercritical of colloquial speech.
inexorable	Impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason. The seemingly inexorable march of new technology.
lacking compassion	Inadequate in amount or degree.
merciless	Having or showing no mercy. A merciless critic.
overcritical	Inclined to judge too severely. The overcritical teacher can discourage originality.
pitiless	Without mercy or pity. A pitiless executioner.
punishing	Severe and debilitating. Set a punishing pace.
relentless	Harsh or inflexible. The relentless beat of the drums.
remorseless	(of something unpleasant) never ending or improving; relentless. Remorseless poverty.
reproachful	Expressing disapproval or disappointment. She gave him a reproachful look.
reproving	Expressing reproof or reproach especially as a corrective. A reproving glance.
ruthless	Without mercy or pity. A ruthless manipulator.
severe	Severely simple. A severe shortage of technicians.
stern	Of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor forbidding in aspect. Mama looked stern.
stony	Covered with or full of small pieces of rock. The government maintained a stony silence about the affair.
strict	Characterized by strictness severity or restraint. Strict standards.
unappeasable	Not able to be pacified, placated, or satisfied. What began as an aspiration turned soon to an unappeasable hunger.
uncaring	Not feeling interest in or attaching importance to something. An uncaring person.
uncharitable	Lacking love and generosity. This uncharitable remark possibly arose out of jealousy.
unfeeling	Unsympathetic, harsh, or callous. My mother is a cold unfeeling woman.
unmerciful	Having or showing no mercy. Deceptively inflated incomes expose many couples to unmerciful taxes.
unpitying	Without mercy or pity. A flat unpitying voice.
unrelenting	Harsh. Unrelenting opponents.
unsparing	Given freely and generously. She had won her mother s unsparing approval.
unsympathetic	Lacking in sympathy and kindness. They were initially unsympathetic towards the cause of Irish freedom.
vituperative	Bitter and abusive. Her vituperative railing.

Usage Examples of "Unforgiving" as an adjective

• He was always a proud and unforgiving man.
• A surly unforgiving old woman.
• The moor can be a wild and unforgiving place in bad weather.

Associations of "Unforgiving" (30 Words)

adamant	A legendary rock or mineral to which many properties were attributed, formerly associated with diamond or lodestone. He is adamant in his refusal to change his mind.
aggressive	Ready or likely to attack or confront; characterized by or resulting from aggression. We needed more growth to pursue our aggressive acquisition strategy.
angry	(of the sea or sky) stormy, turbulent, or threatening. Christine had made him angry.
avenge	Inflict harm in return for an injury or wrong on behalf of (oneself or another. They avenged themselves on the interlopers.
disinclination	That toward which you are inclined to feel dislike. Lucy felt a strong disinclination to talk about her engagement.
dismal	Pitifully or disgracefully bad. His dismal mood was not dispelled by finding the house empty.
dour	Stubbornly unyielding- T.S.Eliot. Dour determination.
downcast	A shaft dug in a mine for extra ventilation. Downcast after his defeat.
enemy	A personal enemy. The enemy attacked at dawn.
exacting	Requiring precise accuracy. An exacting instructor.
fastidious	Very concerned about matters of cleanliness. A fastidious and incisive intellect.
firm	Marked by firm determination or resolution not shakable. She will stand firm against the government s proposal.
grim	Shockingly repellent; inspiring horror. His grim expression.
implacable	Unable to be appeased or placated. An implacable enemy.
inflexible	Not making concessions. An inflexible knife blade.
menacing	Threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments. His tone became menacing.
obduracy	Resoluteness by virtue of being unyielding and inflexible.
revengeful	Eager for revenge. The average Briton is not naturally vindictive and revengeful.
rigid	Designating an airship or dirigible having a form maintained by a stiff unyielding frame or structure. A rigid disciplinarian.
rigour	Severity or strictness. His analysis is lacking in rigour.
seriously	Really or sincerely. The amount of fat you eat can seriously affect your health.
stern	Of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor forbidding in aspect. Mama looked stern.
strict	Characterized by strictness severity or restraint. My father was very strict.
sullen	Showing a brooding ill humor. A sullen pout.
trying	Extremely irritating to the nerves. A trying day at the office.
unbending	Incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances. His output is prodigious and springs from the unbending control he exercises over every aspect of his life.
unperturbed	Free from emotional agitation or nervous tension. Kenneth seems unperturbed by the news.
unpleasant	(of a person or their manner) unfriendly and inconsiderate; rude. Unpleasant odors.
vengeful	Disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge. A vengeful ex con.
vindictive	Showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite. More vindictive than jealous love.