unforgivable

unforgivable — adjective

1. describes a person's words or actions that are so harmful, hurtful, or wrong tha

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a person's words or actions that are so harmful, hurtful, or wrong that you cannot excuse them and cannot continue the relationship as it was before

Example

Romi said some unforgivable things to his sister during the argument about their mother's property.

unforgivable + noun (things said)

The manager's insulting comments towards the staff were simply unforgivable, Kabir thought.

be + simply / absolutely + unforgivable

Common collocations
  • unforgivable sin
  • unforgivable act
  • unforgivable crime
  • unforgivable behaviour
  • unforgivable mistake
  • unforgivable thing to do
Synonyms
  • inexcusable

    slightly less strong; can describe less severe offenses (a rude comment is inexcusable but not necessarily unforgivable)

  • unpardonable

    more formal and less common; carries a legal or religious tone (an unpardonable sin)

  • unjustifiable

    focuses on the lack of a valid reason rather than emotional harm (the cost was unjustifiable)

Antonyms
  • forgivable

    the direct opposite; describes mistakes that can be overlooked or excused

  • excusable

    implies there is a reasonable explanation that reduces blame

  • pardonable

    more formal; suggests the offense is minor enough to be officially forgiven

Grammar Patterns

be + unforgivable

unforgivable + noun

Usage Note

Commonly used with intensifying adverbs such as absolutely, completely, totally, simply, or truly. This adjective often appears in emotional or moral contexts, such as personal apologies, public criticism, or serious accusations.

Common Mistakes

I cannot forgive him — what he did was unforgivable.
What he did was almost unforgivable, yet I chose to forgive him.
If something is truly unforgivable, forgiving it is impossible by definition; the first sentence is logically contradictory.
She made an unforgivable cup of tea.
She made an unforgivable mistake at work.
Unforgivable describes serious moral failures or harmful actions, not minor errors or trivial dislikes.

Word family

  • unforgivably
    adverbC1
  • forgive
    verbB1
  • forgiveness
    nounB2
  • forgivable
    adjectiveB2
  • forgiving
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe something bad enough that a person might not be excused or forgiven. Unforgivable is the strongest: it suggests the harm is so deep that the relationship cannot return to how it was before. Inexcusable is slightly milder and more common in everyday speech — a rude comment or a broken promise can be inexcusable without being unforgivable. Unpardonable is the most formal and least frequent; it appears in legal, religious, or literary contexts (an unpardonable sin, an unpardonable offense). Unforgivable and inexcusable both take intensifying adverbs (absolutely unforgivable, truly inexcusable), while unpardonable usually stands alone. Example: 'The waiter was rude, which was inexcusable, but forgiving him was possible. Lying to the court about the accident was unforgivable — the judge ended all contact with her nephew.'

unforgivable ↗inexcusableunpardonable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • an unforgivable thing to do
  • an unforgivable breach of trust

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Unforgivable was formed by adding the prefix un- (meaning 'not') before forgivable. Forgive comes from Old English forgiefan, made up of for- (away, completely) and giefan (to give) — literally 'to give away, let go of'. The suffix -able turns the verb forgive into an adjective meaning 'able to be forgiven'. So unforgivable literally means 'not able to be forgiven or let go of'. The word has been used in English since the 1500s.