unyielding
Americanadjective
-
unable to bend or be penetrated under pressure; hard.
The unyielding metal door resisted the intruder's attempts to force it open.
-
not apt to give way under pressure; inflexible; firm.
Despite her injuries, she maintained an unyielding determination to complete the marathon.
adjective
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not compliant, submissive, or flexible
his unyielding attitude
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not pliable or soft
a firm and unyielding surface
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unyielding
Explanation
When things are unyielding, they won't stop, won't give, or won't bend. That includes stubborn, unyielding personalities and stiff, unyielding mattresses. You know people who never change their minds, even when they're wrong? You could say they're unyielding. This word refers to people who refuse to budge and never give up. Sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes it's just plain annoying. Physical things can be unyielding if they're hard or impossible to stop. A hurricane or tornado is unyielding, and so is a speeding train. When you see the word unyielding, think "Can't or won't be stopped."
Vocabulary lists containing unyielding
Power Prefix: un-
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Bush's Address on 9/11
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
“It made the search for truth and justice the unyielding commitments of my political life.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
There is snow up there, belying the image of Saudi Arabia as an unyielding desert, but it doesn't last very long.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Charles urged the United States to stand firm with its Western allies, adding that "unyielding resolve" was needed to secure a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
What does that kind of leadership look like in practice, especially in a moment when people are looking to state and local leaders more in the face of an unyielding federal government?
From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026
She imagined herself alone and shriveled in her mother’s womb, envisioned the first days in her mother’s unyielding arms.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
