Synonyms

relentless

American

[ri-lent-lis] / rɪˈlɛnt lɪs /

adjective

not easing or slackening; maintaining speed, vigor, etc..

a relentless barrage of bad news.
unyieldingly severe, strict, or harsh.

a relentless crackdown on human rights.

Synonyms:

unyielding, adamant, obdurate, unbending, rigid

Antonyms:

merciful

relentless British

/ rɪˈlɛntlɪs /

adjective

(of an enemy, hostile attitude, etc) implacable; inflexible; inexorable
(of pace or intensity) sustained; unremitting

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See inflexible.

Other Word Forms

relentlessly adverb
relentlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of relentless

First recorded in 1585–95; relent + -less

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.

Sports events will create spikes in demand, for example at half time, while concerts produce "relentless, sustained pressure from start to finish".

From BBC

If you have been hit by relentless rain and flooding this winter you might well be expecting the weather to have broken some records.

From BBC

Maps pinned to the walls of his office in Kisangani show the relentless advance of farmland into the forest.

From Barron's

He said he made mistakes, which meant that Nottinghamshire Police was not notified of the incident while a warrant was in place for his arrest, partially due to the "relentless volume of work".

From BBC

It is a legal means to push back against the relentless lobbying efforts by fossil-fuel industries.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023