How to Use unforgiving in a Sentence

unforgiving

adjective
  • They are unforgiving of the smallest mistake.
  • For those of you whose hearts are unforgiving, sit down and shut up.
    — Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2018
  • The sun beats down on you, and those long pants and high socks are unforgiving in the heat.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Sales, like life, is unforgiving to your ego.
    — Ryan Upshaw, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The moral law is as blind and unforgiving as any law of nature.
    — Nicholas Frankovich, National Review, 12 Sep. 2019
  • The shift has been fast and unforgiving.
    — Julia Korn, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
  • Bass also knows his job is the most unforgiving in the sport.
    — Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Many brands are moving away from the unforgiving fits of the past.
    — Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The dress is made from silk sateen, this fabric that’s very unforgiving.
    — Todd Plummer, Harper's BAZAAR, 12 Jan. 2023
  • The learning curve was steep and, in the fall, unforgiving.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Some people would be unforgiving of this weird bag of poo on my stomach.
    — Jasmine Haakerson As Told To Roni Jacobson, The Cut, 25 Jan. 2018
  • The fairway is uphill and unforgiving, with a bunker to the left and trees to the right.
    — Chris Chase, For The Win, 5 Apr. 2018
  • The dry, dusty surface of Mars is a cold and unforgiving place.
    — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 10 Jan. 2020
  • Their schedule over the next week is unforgiving.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
  • That said, the sectional is not stiff or unforgiving by any means.
    — Malia Griggs, Architectural Digest, 17 July 2025
  • An unforgiving desert surrounds the camp and keeps them from leaving.
    — Alan Gratz, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2020
  • Set to the same art style from that era, Cuphead is a run-and-gun game that’s unforgiving.
    — Tom Warren, The Verge, 26 Dec. 2018
  • New Yorkers can be unforgiving when a mayor is caught out of town at the wrong time.
    — Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The strange thing is that, as the film unfolds, the beauty of the place grows ever more unforgiving.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2023
  • These people, raised in an unforgiving place, have no need for any of our Alien jargon.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
  • The math can be unforgiving for a guest appearance.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 June 2026
  • At that speed and conditions, the snow is unforgiving.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
  • The Moc Toe boot is a great counter to those unforgiving surfaces with its wedge style sole.
    — Tony Carrick, Field & Stream, 25 Oct. 2023
  • The terrain in this part of the park was steep and unforgiving, the ground knotted with tree roots and studded with rocks.
    — Washington Post, 30 June 2022
  • Not so much the game, but the unforgiving industry that surrounds it.
    — Mark Critchley, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
  • And the ride is so unforgiving that even the softest mode is the very definition of head toss.
    — Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 28 Feb. 2023
  • The physics here are unforgiving, and the MOU doesn't change them.
    — Phil Lempert, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
  • The subjects come to life through furtive glances, wry smiles, unforgiving stares, and eyes hardened by horrors past.
    — Graham Ambrose, The Denver Post, 31 May 2017
  • But this is an unforgiving milieu.
    — David Morgan, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
  • The math is simple and unforgiving.
    — Jared Bernstein, The Atlantic, 25 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unforgiving.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: