unflinching

American  

[uhn-flin-ching] / ʌnˈflɪn tʃɪŋ /

adjective

1. not flinching; unshrinking.

   unflinching courage.

   Synonyms:

   unfaltering, steadfast, constant, steady

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unflinching British  

/ ʌnˈflɪntʃɪŋ /

adjective

1. not shrinking from danger, difficulty, etc

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Other Word Forms

• unflinchingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of unflinching

First recorded in 1720–30; un- ¹ + flinch ¹ + -ing ²

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.

Example Sentences

Half Man is bleak and unflinching in its view of masculinity.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 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

Celebrated Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr, known for unflinching contemplations of shared humanity films such as “Sátántangó” and “The Turin Horse,” has died at 70.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

Tragically, none of Ann’s four children lived more than a year past their birth, and the film recounts the close period between all four deaths with astonishing, unflinching honesty.

From Salon • Dec. 27, 2025

Before her pencil he sat rigid and unflinching, as he had faced the cannon’s mouth in days gone by.

From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

Related Words

• fearless
• gritty
• resolute
• staunch
• steadfast
• tenacious
• unwavering
• unyielding