relentless
Americanadjective
-
(of an enemy, hostile attitude, etc) implacable; inflexible; inexorable
-
(of pace or intensity) sustained; unremitting
Related Words
See inflexible.
Other Word Forms
- relentlessly adverb
- relentlessness noun
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.
Tech workers across the industry are struggling to regain employment in their fields despite relentless searching, experiencing burnout on top of unemployment.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
Lacking leads in the Virginia bank robbery, a police detective turned to what one judge in the case called a “groundbreaking investigative tool ... enabling the relentless collection of eerily precise location data.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026
In this talented author’s relentless paring back, too many interesting things have been cut away.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Yet, if the worst happens, how will they juggle the relentless nature of the Championship with European football?
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Not even the relentless momentum of our ship—now carried by a steady wind—can stir these waters.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
