Uncompromising

ˌʌnˈkɒmprəˌmaɪzɪŋ

adjectivemedium📊CommonQuality
1 meaning3 questions

Definitions

1

Not willing to make concessions or negotiate; refusing to compromise.

ˌʌnˈkɒmprəˌmaɪzɪŋ

adjectivenegativemedium
Quality

Refusing to make concessions or reach an agreement.

The general was uncompromising in his orders.

💡 Simply: Imagine someone who absolutely, positively won't budge on their opinion or what they want. Like when you're trying to agree on a movie and one person says, 'I only want to watch sci-fi,' and they won't even *consider* anything else. That person is being uncompromising!

👶 For kids: It means someone won't give in or change their mind, like a superhero who always does the right thing!

More Examples

2

Her uncompromising principles often led to conflict.

3

The judge was uncompromising in his decisions.

4

The uncompromising standards of the company were well-known.

How It's Used

Politics

"The senator maintained an uncompromising stance on tax reform."

Business

"The company had an uncompromising approach to quality control."

Ethics

"She held uncompromising ethical beliefs."

From 'un-' (not) + 'compromising' (yielding), derived from the verb 'compromise,' meaning to settle a dispute by mutual concession. The word reflects a stance of refusing to make concessions or accept anything less than one's principles.

The word's usage became prominent during periods of strong ideological or political division, such as during the 19th and 20th centuries, when ideological clashes were common.

Memory tip

Think of a wall that doesn't budge. Uncompromising people are like that wall – steadfast and unyielding.

Word Origin

LanguageEnglish (from French)
Original meaning

"Not inclined to make concessions; without compromise"

uncompromising stanceuncompromising attitudeuncompromising standardsuncompromising approachuncompromising nature

Common misspellings

uncompomisinguncompromizinguncompormising

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written