relentless

adjective

re·​lent·​less ri-ˈlent-ləs How to pronounce relentless (audio)
Synonyms of relentless
: showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace : unrelenting
relentless pressure
a relentless campaign
relentlessly adverb
relentlessness noun

Synonyms of relentless

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of relentless in a Sentence

Her relentless optimism held the team together. The hunter was relentless in pursuit of his prey. a relentless opponent of deregulation
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Its sculptural geometry seems born of chance, gently carved and polished over time by the slow, relentless action of wind and erosion. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026 Despite relentless internal memos about layoffs and content cuts since the summer, the BBC has only announced £200M of its half-billion goal. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026 Declining industrial demand can make the electricity balance sheet look healthier, when the reality is that the economy is deteriorating under the pressure of relentless attacks. — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026 At the core of Fox’s operations is the relentless focus on the viewers. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for relentless

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of relentless was in 1592

Browse Nearby Words

relentingly
relentless
relentment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Relentless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relentless. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

relentless

adjective
re·​lent·​less ri-ˈlent-ləs How to pronounce relentless (audio)
: not lessening in severity, intensity, strength, or pace : unrelenting
relentless criticism
relentlessly adverb
relentlessness noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All