relentless
Americanadjective
-
(of an enemy, hostile attitude, etc) implacable; inflexible; inexorable
-
(of pace or intensity) sustained; unremitting
Synonym Usage
See inflexible.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of relentless
Explanation
Relentless is a good word for describing something that's harsh, unforgiving, and persistent, like the hot sun in the desert, or a cold that keeps you in bed for days with a nose like a strawberry. When you're relentless about something, you mean business. You're not stopping until you get what you want, and you're not taking "no" for an answer. People might try to steer you from your goal, but you have eyes only for the prize and they're just going to have to get out of your way. If you're a relentless student, for instance, you might stay up all night studying your vocabulary, just in case there might be a quiz in the morning.
Vocabulary lists containing relentless
The Giver
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A Long Walk to Water
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Power Suffix: -less
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At least six people have died in Indiana as a series of relentless storms led to historic flooding in the Midwestern state.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
By the time he resigned his Cambridge position last week Jason Arday said the "relentless accusations" had taken a "profound toll" on him and his family.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Big Sur has faced a relentless cycle of natural disasters over the past decade including destructive wildfires, mudflows, rockslides and coastal erosion that threatens its steep and fragile landscape and has isolated the iconic destination.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Hoekstra, a relentless defender of President Donald Trump and a former Republican congressman from Michigan, has had a volatile tenure since arriving in Ottawa in April 2025.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
But she began to see his desperate and relentless focus on her as something closer to obsessive need than love.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
