ˌən-ˈpärd-nə-bəl
as in unacceptable
too bad to be excused or justified
regards cruelty to animals as an unpardonable sin
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Recent Examples of unpardonable
Alone in George’s office, Roger commits the unpardonable offense of reading his notebook.
—
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Trump’s explicit threats against the Bidens, and his record of trying to politicize the Justice Department and FBI, almost justify an unpardonable pardon, columnist Jackie Calmes writes.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
In her small and deeply Catholic community, suicide is an unpardonable sin, so a horrible crime lures her with the promise of escape.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024
As her recent award accolades attest, Zine was a force of nature from first take to last, the conduit through which the viewer experiences the dread, horror, anguish and grief of witnessing her father murdered for the unpardonable sin of speaking his truth.
—Alexander Woo, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2024
Insulting you for complimenting him was unpardonable.
—Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 9 Aug. 2023
On their return one, with almost unpardonable stupidity, brought the young woman some sort of information as to the probable fate of her brother.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 June 2023
To fight it, the unpardonable crime.
—W.h. Auden, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2021
In a nation whose story emphasizes progress and always moving forward, such a refusal was an unpardonable sin, a punishable lapse.
—Michael T. Bertrand, CNN, 16 Jan. 2023
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Trump’s explicit threats against the Bidens, and his record of trying to politicize the Justice Department and FBI, almost justify an unpardonable pardon, columnist Jackie Calmes writes.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
In her small and deeply Catholic community, suicide is an unpardonable sin, so a horrible crime lures her with the promise of escape.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024
As her recent award accolades attest, Zine was a force of nature from first take to last, the conduit through which the viewer experiences the dread, horror, anguish and grief of witnessing her father murdered for the unpardonable sin of speaking his truth.
—Alexander Woo, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2024
Insulting you for complimenting him was unpardonable.
—Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 9 Aug. 2023
On their return one, with almost unpardonable stupidity, brought the young woman some sort of information as to the probable fate of her brother.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 June 2023
To fight it, the unpardonable crime.
—W.h. Auden, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2021
In a nation whose story emphasizes progress and always moving forward, such a refusal was an unpardonable sin, a punishable lapse.
—Michael T. Bertrand, CNN, 16 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpardonable
Adjective
-
But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
-
But for a lot of people following Markle's every move anything other than perfection is unacceptable.—
Alanna Bennett,
refinery29.com,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Neither of them committed any unforgivable sins on the island, and the season ended with a successful proposal.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Bath time betrayal – Even when necessary, some pups act like a bath is an unforgivable offense.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
With the stakes that high, Zelensky’s political opponents and many independent analysts called Friday’s argument in the Oval Office a diplomatic catastrophe, unprecedented and inexcusable.—
Simon Shuster/Kyiv,
TIME,
1 Mar. 2025
-
The lack of transparency by withholding what should be public information is inexcusable.—
Marsha Sutton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The 107 women in the new suit join 60 other former patients who have filed suit against Dr. Barry J. Brock, accusing him of inappropriate and medically unjustifiable behavior that at times resulted in lasting physical complications.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Much of what Donald Trump has done in his first eight days back in the White House is legally unjustifiable.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
Adjective
-
Since the mid-Nineties, he’s repeatedly reinvented R&B, hip-hop, and pop, lacing classics by the likes of Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake, and Jay-Z with skittering beats, future-shock synths, and his outrageous ear for samples and hooks.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Where the previous side story, The Man Who Erased His Name, forced protagonist Kiryu to wrestle with his lonely existence, this romp casts anti-hero Goro Majima as an outrageous modern-day pirate.—
James Perkins Mastromarino,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Wielding state power to discriminate against kids is indefensible.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
-
What’s even worse is that public universities still consider legacy, which is indefensible.—
Latrice Walker,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Conservatives and Republicans in Congress continue to claim that the cost of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits is an insupportable burden on America, so benefits need to be cut, though President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to preserve entitlements like Social Security and Medicare.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Jan. 2025
-
Unless the distress among the German people should become insupportable, any sudden advance movement on their part that relied on force would be doomed to failure without armed support and assistance from outside.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Dec. 2011
Adjective
-
Contrary to what many people believe, pit bulls don't naturally have a bad temperament, are not inherently vicious, and are not more dangerous than other dogs.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Ferran’s Blanche puts up a vicious fight, but Mescal’s Stanley relishes the roughhousing.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unpardonable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpardonable. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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