relentlessly

Meanings

1. 1adverbcomparable

   Without stopping or easing, no matter how hard or tiring things become.

   Grammar: Modifies verbs: work relentlessly, pursue relentlessly.

   Patterns

   • work relentlessly
   • pursue something relentlessly

   The detective relentlessly followed every clue.

   She trained relentlessly for the marathon.

   The rain fell relentlessly all weekend.

2. 2adverbcomparable

   In a harsh way that shows no mercy or pity.

   Grammar: Often describes pressure, criticism or attacks.

   Patterns

   • attack relentlessly
   • criticize relentlessly

   The press relentlessly criticized the manager.

   The sun beat down relentlessly on the desert.

   Waves relentlessly pounded the cliffs.

Word forms

Common combinations

work relentlessly

The team worked relentlessly to meet the deadline.

pursue relentlessly

He pursued his goal relentlessly.

relentlessly cheerful

Her relentlessly cheerful tone annoyed some colleagues.

push relentlessly

The coach pushed relentlessly for improvement.

relentlessly pursued

The story was relentlessly pursued by reporters.

Synonyms and how they differ

persistently

Persistently only means continuing, while relentlessly adds a sense of intensity or lack of mercy.

ruthlessly

Ruthlessly stresses a lack of pity toward others, whereas relentlessly focuses on not stopping.

tirelessly

Tirelessly is positive and focuses on never getting tired, while relentlessly can sound harsh.

incessantly

Incessantly describes noise or events that go on and on without pause, usually in an annoying way.

Opposites

Word family

relent verb

to become less harsh or stop

relentless adjective

never stopping or easing

relentlessness noun

the quality of not stopping

unrelenting adjective

not weakening

Commonly confused: relentlessly or restlessly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “relentlessly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words