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
More to the point: Doing nothing would be unpardonable.
—
Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025
If Sam is wrong, his journalistic sin is unpardonable.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 13 May 2025
Attacking innocent citizens, in this case tourists, is utterly appalling and unpardonable.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
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
Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025
If Sam is wrong, his journalistic sin is unpardonable.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 13 May 2025
Attacking innocent citizens, in this case tourists, is utterly appalling and unpardonable.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpardonable
Adjective
-
Anti-American and antisemitic rhetoric should be categorically unacceptable in any venue.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
-
When direct conflict carries unacceptable escalation risk, sustained pressure below the threshold of force offers states a way to bend the will of a rival nation without triggering open war.—
Andrew Latham,
The Conversation,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The organisation’s handling of the unfortunate Tourette’s N-Word incident last night at the awards was utterly unforgivable.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
24 Feb. 2026
-
For the Chinese Communist Party, which stakes its claim to legitimacy on defeating Japanese invaders during World War II, that would be an unforgivable outrage.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Her representative called the incident ‘completely inexcusable,’ signaling the singer needs intervention and support from loved ones.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
There are inexcusable attacks on civilians — on hospitals and on a girls’ school in Minab, killing dozens of children — without regard to United Nations conventions and international law.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Time away from her family felt increasingly unjustifiable.—
Esha Chhabra,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
There are some problematic cases already in the Hall, and the inconsistency grows increasingly unjustifiable.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
If the clothes Kutcher’s Byron Forst wears are occasionally outrageous, the fashion sense exhibited by his wife Franny (Isabella Rossellini) is positively insane.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2026
-
All of it was outrageous, and also representative of what happens in Russia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some philosophers and activists advocate for pet abolition, arguing that treating any animals as property is ethically indefensible.—
Margret Grebowicz,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Two of the most talked about these days are the indefensible actions of ICE and the attempt of this government to take over the arts in this country.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
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
-
There are people of goodwill who think the way out of this insupportable situation lies in the fight for equal democratic rights in a single state for everyone living in the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.—
Michelle Goldberg,
The Mercury News,
14 Mar. 2024
Adjective
-
Ironically, that war emboldened Iran, as the vicious Iraqi strongman was a regional counterbalance to the vicious mullahs.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The Islamic State, or ISIS, the most vicious terror group ever, found Iraq to be the perfect launching pad for its marauders.—
Nolan Finley,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unpardonable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpardonable. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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