unbowed
Americanadjective
-
not bowed or bent.
-
not yielding or submitting, as to defeat; not subjugated.
Even when their country was occupied, the people of Norway remained unbowed.
adjective
-
not bowed or bent
-
free or unconquered
Etymology
Origin of unbowed
1325–75; Middle English; see un- 1 + bow 1 ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
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.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, is known for being unbowed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
Alvarez arrived at the news conference marked up but unbowed.
From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025
I’m not sure if that’s what I want from him as an artist, but I thrill to his unbowed aspiration.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2024
But it also offers Mr. Netanyahu an opportunity to repair his sagging domestic ratings by presenting himself as a leader unbowed by foreign demands.
From New York Times • Dec. 13, 2023
He could be talking to a farmer or an emperor, Pinmei thought, remembering Yishan’s unbowed head the night the hut burned, and it wouldn’t matter.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
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.
