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
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Advertisement If something comes back at unacceptable levels, filtering is the next step—and the right filter depends on what's in your water.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
3 June 2026
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Concern, because the violence and chaos in Hyde Park and elsewhere over the Memorial Day weekend are dangerous and unacceptable.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family, and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.—
Jason Lamphier,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
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And while politics has and always will be intertwined with sports, simply selecting Italy to compete would be a totally unforgivable abuse of power that would undermine the many years teams have spent trying to qualify for the event.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But Nathan MacKinnon not talking after Tuesday’s loss was unprofessional and inexcusable for one of the NHL’s best players.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
-
The airline’s behavior here is inexcusable.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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This unjustifiable benefit, which could be worth more than a hundred million dollars to the Trumps, would go directly into the pockets of the President and his family.—
Austin Elias-de Jesus,
New Yorker,
3 June 2026
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Parents may be masking their children because the CDC continuously published shoddy research meant to support their unjustifiable policy positions.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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This is outrageous — and devastating.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
1 June 2026
-
Pratt’s outrageous on-screen antics placed him at the center of many feuds.—
Louis Staples,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
The remarks were shocking and indefensible.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
Nothing seemed to go right after he was let down badly by a misguided – OK, indefensible – VAR intervention in his second match of the season, which led to him wrongly ruling out a Josh King goal for Fulham at Chelsea.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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Her vicious block on Clark with seven minutes left nearly lifted the roof off the place.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
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Other cast members spoke on rising to new challenges in Season 2, including Paulina Chavez, whose character Ariana Medina survived a vicious assault in the penultimate episode.—
Kai Naima Williams,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unpardonable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpardonable. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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