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
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
On their return one, with almost unpardonable stupidity, brought the young woman some sort of information as to the probable fate of her brother.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 June 2023
To fight it, the unpardonable crime.
—W.h. Auden, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2021
In a nation whose story emphasizes progress and always moving forward, such a refusal was an unpardonable sin, a punishable lapse.
—Michael T. Bertrand, CNN, 16 Jan. 2023
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
On their return one, with almost unpardonable stupidity, brought the young woman some sort of information as to the probable fate of her brother.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 June 2023
To fight it, the unpardonable crime.
—W.h. Auden, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2021
In a nation whose story emphasizes progress and always moving forward, such a refusal was an unpardonable sin, a punishable lapse.
—Michael T. Bertrand, CNN, 16 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpardonable
Adjective
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Defense stocks were once considered socially unacceptable investments, but fund managers are slowly changing tack as the sector has rallied in recent years.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Forcing Americans and small independent American companies to rely on those same tools is an unacceptable outcome of domestic legislation.—
Emma Woollacott,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Breach of confidence—that is the scarlet sin, the cardinal and unforgivable sin of our fraternal ethos.—
Charles Portis,
Harper's Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Neither of them committed any unforgivable sins on the island, and the season ended with a successful proposal.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Failure seemed almost inexcusable.—
Jacob Robinson,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
-
This results in bureaucratic gaps and inexcusable paralysis given the urgency and complexity of modern cyberwarfare.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For many, $449 might be an unjustifiable luxury, but for the Nintendo faithful, these incremental improvements add up to something quite promising indeed.—
James Perkins Mastromarino,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2025
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The 107 women in the new suit join 60 other former patients who have filed suit against Dr. Barry J. Brock, accusing him of inappropriate and medically unjustifiable behavior that at times resulted in lasting physical complications.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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As a woman, I am appalled by Michael Tanzi's outrageous actions.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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Several major automakers like Audi and Volkswagen have paused shipments to the United States to avoid paying outrageous import tariffs.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Wielding state power to discriminate against kids is indefensible.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
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That a majority of this court now rewards the government for its behavior with discretionary equitable relief is indefensible.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2025
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
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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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Softened by pride, Amber slinks away herself, albeit much more cutely than Gregory and accompanied by a vicious side-eye.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
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The Kansas City Glory’s season opener was set to begin on Saturday afternoon, but viral sensation Elena Easley was sitting on the field, experiencing a vicious headache.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unpardonable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpardonable. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
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