1
as in distant
having or showing a lack of friendliness or interest in others
the commanding officer's unbending reserve when dealing with subordinates
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
the school's new headmaster is reputed to be an unbending disciplinarian
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in straightening
to cause to follow a line that is without bends or curls
the new highway will largely unbend that twisting path that the old road used to follow
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unbending
Alex Shephard,
The New Republic,
18 Feb. 2022
Amidst this controversy, in 1998, Manning met the scientist who would become his unbending ally.
—
Timothy Pratt,
Discover Magazine,
2 Feb. 2022
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unbending
Adjective
The result has been a most uncivil war, not fought over ideology, but over loyalty to the former president; not over public policy or economic solutions, but about who can serve as the most unbending conduit of the Republican base’s profound anger.
—
Alex Shephard,
The New Republic,
18 Feb. 2022
Amidst this controversy, in 1998, Manning met the scientist who would become his unbending ally.
—
Timothy Pratt,
Discover Magazine,
2 Feb. 2022
Verb
Without unbending her back, the mother arranges her mouth into a placid line.
—
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unbending
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unbending
Adjective
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Assemblymember Alex Bores, had 35%, followed by Schlossberg, who trailed in a distant third with less than 11%.
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Wet paint auctions feel like a distant memory, with frivolous, speculative art buying, especially from 2020 to 2022, now being passé.
Adjective
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Dealing with stubborn dark spots?
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But when the adults decide to cancel Christmas and the magical star fades away, a stubborn little bird named Pikkuli sets off on a winter adventure with friends to find the Starlight Reindeer and bring back the light.
Verb
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The 60-year-old had permed her hair every six weeks for 30 years before realizing that chemically straightening her hair had become a time-consuming and self-imposed obligation.
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Beran shed a few tears in her office before wiping her eyes with a tissue, straightening her shoulders and heading into the hallway.
Adjective
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They got approved for a mortgage on a £150,000 (about $198,441) two-bedroom, semi-detached house in Seaham, England.
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Olise has purposefully cultivated a kind of detached non-persona.
Adjective
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And in Season Two, Survival of the Thickest went all out on a dream wedding for Peppermint, an idea Buteau was adamant about making it on screen.
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Advertisement Throughout negotiations, Tehran has been adamant that any cease-fire with Washington must also end the hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, and that any permanent truce must lead to Israel withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon.
Adjective
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To prevent that, some operators maintain low oil flow rates, akin to dripping a faucet in freezing cold weather to avoid frozen pipes.
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Aging And The Long Game Of Leadership The conversation around aging often centers on biohackers seeking to lower their biological age through cold plunges, red light therapy, and peptides.
Adjective
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The Federal Reserve’s steadfast period of low interest rates in the 2000s was criticized as contributing to a housing bubble in the 2000s, followed by the mortgage crisis of 2007 and the Great Recession the following year.
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With the almighty Sun highlighting your 7th House of Partnership, commitments benefit from structure that includes realistic timelines and steadfast follow-through.
Adjective
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Parade organizers have warned attendees to take steps to stay cool, as temperatures on Sunday will feel like the 90s.
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This guest even slipped on some socks for some extra cool girl points.
Cite this Entry
“Unbending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unbending. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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