rock-ribbed

adjective

Definition of rock-ribbednext
as in unbending

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rock-ribbed
  1. unbending
  2. implacable
  3. hard-line
  4. uncompromising
  5. hardened
  6. immovable
  7. unyielding
  8. relentless
Adjective
  • That narcissism, combined with a lack of understanding regarding the risks of the Titan, resulted in an unbending belief in his own creation.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 11 June 2025
  • Obama’s second-term quest at a border bill similarly crashed into unbending opposition.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 2 June 2025
Definition of unbending
Adjective
  • Among the terminated is a welder, Choi Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), who wears a frown so implacable that it might have been etched in steel.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Leaders typically come to see themselves as locked in an existential struggle against a malign and implacable enemy.
    — Matt Waldman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of implacable
Adjective
  • If neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line alliance nor an opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot win enough seats to form a government, both would need to find support from outside their blocs for backing as prime minister.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Ebrahim Azizi, the hard-line head of Iran’s parliamentary security committee, posted on social media over the weekend a map of Israel.
    — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of hard-line
Adjective
  • The backtrack, albeit temporary, is a sharp reversal for two of corporate America’s most uncompromising voices on office attendance.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • The company’ products also have a distinctive look that’s unmistakably Noble, offering an uncompromising approach to earbud design.
    — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 2 June 2026
Definition of uncompromising
Adjective
  • O’Brien’s Ted Keegan is a father, farmer and military veteran — a hardened man who’s spent much of his life following orders and keeping secrets.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • And yet, for a millennia after the fall of Rome, the world largely forgot about concrete, until, in the 18th century, an English mason found that mixing limestone and clay could form a paste that hardened underwater.
    — Sara Herschander, Vox, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of hardened
Adjective
  • But the policy, with its strictly physiological definition, was immovable.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • But there’s an immovable firewall between the cargo area and the passenger cabin, and the rear seats do not fold flat.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of immovable
Adjective
  • In some obscure way, Shawn felt responsible for protecting the stranger against the slights of his unyielding countrymen.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • His unyielding tongue-in-cheek career narrative touches on craftsmanship, luxury and nihilism.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of unyielding
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of relentless
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.

Browse Nearby Words

rocklike
rock-ribbed
rocks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rock-ribbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rock-ribbed. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 reticent

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

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
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