relentless
Americanadjective
-
(of an enemy, hostile attitude, etc) implacable; inflexible; inexorable
-
(of pace or intensity) sustained; unremitting
Related Words
See inflexible.
Other Word Forms
- relentlessly adverb
- relentlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of relentless
Explanation
Relentless is a good word for describing something that's harsh, unforgiving, and persistent, like the hot sun in the desert, or a cold that keeps you in bed for days with a nose like a strawberry. When you're relentless about something, you mean business. You're not stopping until you get what you want, and you're not taking "no" for an answer. People might try to steer you from your goal, but you have eyes only for the prize and they're just going to have to get out of your way. If you're a relentless student, for instance, you might stay up all night studying your vocabulary, just in case there might be a quiz in the morning.
Vocabulary lists containing relentless
The Giver
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A Long Walk to Water
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Power Suffix: -less
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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.
At that stage, Strategy was sitting on unrealized losses of almost $5 billion and despite public displays of bravura and a refusal to contemplate selling, the pressure on Strategy’s stock price was relentless.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
They certainly will in the coming weeks as a relentless schedule eases.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Yet the pressure has been relentless, the results have been inconsistent, and the season now looks set to end without major silverware - a repeat of 2024-25, when only the Uefa Super Cup was secured.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
Compared to relentless real-life market competition, online games are more like, well, games.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
The lieutenant kept up his relentless pursuit of Kelley.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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.
