Word
unrepentant
Phoneticsun·re·pen·tant, stress on the third syllable
US/ˌənɹiˈpɛntənt/
UK/ˌʌnɹɪpˈɛntənt/
Definition
adj. not feeling sorry for something wrong you did, and not wanting to say sorry or change.
adj. showing no remorse or regret for past actions considered wrong; refusing to apologize or reform.
Examples
“He remains unrepentant about lying to his friends.”
“After cheating in the exam, the student is unrepentant and says he would do it again.”
“The former minister remained unrepentant in her memoirs, defending decisions that critics called reckless and insisting history would vindicate her.”
Examples
simple
“He remains unrepentant about lying to his friends.”
contextual
“After cheating in the exam, the student is unrepentant and says he would do it again.”
complex
“The former minister remained unrepentant in her memoirs, defending decisions that critics called reckless and insisting history would vindicate her.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “unrepentant” in context.
Verb
01. remain unrepentant
“The former minister remains unrepentant over the scandal that ended his career.”
verb + adj
02. seem unrepentant
“The defendant seemed unrepentant as the judge read out the sentence.”
verb + adj
03. sound unrepentant
“In the interview, he sounded unrepentant and blamed everyone else.”
verb + adj
04. unrepentant about actions
“She is completely unrepentant about her actions during the protest.”
adj + prep + noun
Adjective
05. defiantly unrepentant
“She remained defiantly unrepentant, insisting her protest was fully justified.”
adv + adj
06. proudly unrepentant
“He describes himself as proudly unrepentant about his unconventional lifestyle.”
adv + adj
Noun
07. unrepentant criminal
“The unrepentant criminal showed no remorse during the sentencing hearing.”
adj + noun
08. a proudly unrepentant smoker
“He calls himself a proudly unrepentant smoker despite the health warnings.”
09. an unrepentant career criminal
“The press described him as an unrepentant career criminal with multiple convictions.”
10. remain unrepentant about his past
“Decades later, he remains unrepentant about his past as a political extremist.”
11. remain utterly unrepentant
“He remained utterly unrepentant after the trial and showed no remorse.”
12. stay unrepentant to the end
“She stayed unrepentant to the end, insisting she had done nothing wrong.”
Usage
Often followed by 'about' when naming the offence ('unrepentant about lying').
Real-World Examples
“With The Act of Killing, though, Oppenheimer found a still more disturbing truth – his butchers were gleefully unrepentant.” “Matthew Rhys won one of his Emmys for The Beast in Me , in which he plays an amoral, unrepentant sociopath.” “Members of a breakaway Catholic group excommunicated over the ordination of four bishops were unrepentant on Thursday, accusing the Church of straying from the true faith and saying Pope Leo had failed to hear their concerns.” “But asked whether invading Iraq was a mistake Blair was strikingly unrepentant.” Etymology
From un- + repentant.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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