unflinching
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unflinchingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of unflinching
Explanation
Use the adjective unflinching to describe someone who's fearless and steadfast, even when they're facing something very difficult. Martin Luther King, Jr. had an unflinching dedication to fighting injustice. To flinch is to pull away in fear or pain. If you don't flinch while your dad pulls a splinter out of your finger, you're unflinching. This means that you're resolute and unwavering, despite the fact that you may be dealing with something scary (or in this case, painful). Other things are figuratively unflinching, like your unflinching honesty, even in the face of a hostile reaction to what you say.
Vocabulary lists containing unflinching
Tuck Everlasting
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Siddhartha
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Put on a Bold Face: Synonyms for "Brave"
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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.
Angela Rayner's speech to a group of Labour activists on Tuesday night was arch, barbed, punchy and unflinching.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
Weisz spoke of “Gardener” source material author John le Carré in her speech, noting on stage that he “wrote this unflinching, angry story.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
Parr died in early December aged 73, having spent his life documenting Britain and the world with an unflinching eye that often captured the absurdity and shallowness of modern existence.
From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026
McDonald’s story is interspersed with that of his daughter, Jackie, who gave Mr. Toledo her blessing and spoke about her life with unflinching honesty.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
He sat there unflinching as the maester dabbed and squeezed and cleaned the pus away with squares of soft cloth boiled in vinegar.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
