Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for unbending on Thesaurus.com not bending or curving; inflexible; rigid. refusing to yield or compromise; resolute. austere or formal; aloof. Show More
Related forms un·bend·ing·ly , adverb un·bend·ing·ness , noun verb (used with object), un·bent or (Archaic ) un·bend·ed, un·bend·ing. to straighten from a bent form or position. to release from the strain of formality, intense effort, etc.; relax: to unbend one's mind. to release from tension, as a bow. Nautical to loose or untie, as a sail or rope. to unfasten from spars or stays, as sails. Show More
verb (used without object), un·bent or (Archaic ) un·bend·ed, un·bend·ing. to relax the strictness of formality or ceremony; act in an easy, genial manner: Imagine him unbending! to become unbent; straighten. Show More
Origin of unbend Middle English word dating back to
1200–50; see origin at
un-2 ,
bend1 Related forms un·bend·a·ble , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for unbending firm ,
obstinate ,
reserved ,
crisp ,
aloof ,
distant ,
formal ,
hard-line ,
incompliant ,
inelastic ,
inexorable ,
inflexible ,
intractable ,
obdurate ,
relentless ,
resolute ,
severe ,
single-minded ,
stiff ,
strict Examples from the Web for unbending Contemporary Examples of unbending Koop, a man of the far right, was standing tall and unbending .
Ayalon himself told me in in October 2010 that zero-enrichment is an unbending Israeli red line.
Now those positions are coming back to haunt him as Republican activists demand a candidate of unbending right-wing convictions.
Washington, unbending in his role as the noblest republican of them all, administered a severe blow to imperial pride.
Historical Examples of unbending Her struggles met only the unbending , pitiless resistance of steel.
Old Dibs smiled a sickly smile, like he was unbending to a pair of kids.
The former should be strict, authoritative, unbending ; the latter should be mild and gentle.
He had been brought up in the most unbending school of Toryism.
The trees seemed rigid and unbending in the wind that caressed his face.
British Dictionary definitions for unbending rigid or inflexible characterized by sternness or severity an unbending rule Show More
Derived Forms unbendingly , adverb unbendingness , noun verb -bends , -bending or -bent to release or be released from the restraints of formality and ceremony informal to relax (the mind) or (of the mind) to become relaxed to become or be made straightened out from an originally bent shape or position (tr) nautical to remove (a sail) from a stay, mast, yard, etc to untie (a rope, etc) or cast (a cable) loose Show More
Derived Forms unbendable , adjective 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
Word Origin and History for unbending v. "to relax a bow by unstringing it," mid-13c., from un- (2) + bend (v.). Figurative meaning "to become genial, relax" (1748) has a sense opposite to that of unbending "inflexible, obstinate" (1680s), which does not derive from the bowstringing image.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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