unforgiving
Americanadjective
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not disposed to forgive or show mercy; unrelenting.
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not allowing for mistakes, carelessness, or weakness.
the unforgiving nature of aviation.
adjective
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not willing to forgive; unmerciful
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(of a machine, system, etc) allowing little or no opportunity for mistakes to be corrected
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harsh and unremitting
an unforgiving and desolate landscape
Other Word Forms
- unforgivingness noun
Etymology
Origin of unforgiving
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.
But on the internet, it’s the TV show where the world’s most attractive people somehow look even better, defying the odds of a famously unforgiving medium.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026
All have been reasonably used to explain England's sudden decline, but the simple fact remains that Test rugby is an unforgiving arena, especially in a highly competitive Six Nations campaign.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
Not 48 hours earlier, Arenas was confined to his bed, sick with a particularly unforgiving form of the flu.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
Succulents in particular thrive in this unforgiving landscape using ingenious strategies to survive, from water storage to light reflection.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
He glared at them both with cold, unforgiving resentment.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
