What does unbending mean?
Unbending means rigid, unyielding, or unwilling to compromise. Its dominant modern use is figurative: an unbending person refuses to alter a position, while an unbending policy, resolve, or attitude remains firm despite pressure. The word often suggests firmness that may be admirable, though it can also imply stubbornness or excessive rigidity. Less commonly, unbending refers literally to a material or object that does not bend. The word is also the present participle of unbend, meaning to straighten something or, figuratively, to become less severe or formal. Although formed with the negative prefix un-, unbending does not simply mean “straight”; its most recognizable meaning is that of a person or principle that will not yield. The combination of negative prefix and root gives it an emphatic quality, making it useful in writing about resistance, steadfastness, and inflexible demands.
Rigid and unable to bend; figuratively, unyielding or unwilling to compromise.
"He faced years of criticism but remained unbending in his commitment to the project."
The figurative sense is much more common than the literal physical sense.
Straighten something that has been bent; become less rigid or less severe.
"She gradually unbending her position as she heard the other side of the argument."
This is the present participle of unbend and is less common than the adjective.
Although “unbending” sounds like a command to straighten something, its figurative use more often describes a person who refuses to yield.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unbending come from?
Unbending combines the English prefix un-, meaning “not” or the reverse of an action, with bend, as in the verb meaning to bow or curve. The base verb descends from Old English bendan, inherited ultimately from a Germanic root associated with bending or binding. The un- form has long been used in English to reverse or negate a verb, and unbending developed as the form meaning “not bending” before acquiring its prominent figurative sense of being uncompromising.
Related word forms
How unbending is actually used
The figurative adjective is especially common in formal writing and descriptions of attitudes, principles, policies, or opposition. Its literal sense is less frequent, while the verbal form is comparatively uncommon.