relentlessly
advUK /ɹɪˈlɛntləsli/ · CA, US /ɹəˈlɛn(t)ləsli/
Etymology
From relentless + -ly (suffix forming abverbs from adjectives and nouns). Relentless is derived from relent (“(noun) act of relenting or giving way, yielding; (verb) to become less cruel or harsh; to become less intense”) + -less (suffix meaning ‘lacking, without’); and relent from Middle English relenten (“to melt; to soften; to dissolve in water; of weather: to be cool and moist”), from Anglo-Norman relenter, relentir (“to melt; to shrivel; to give up; to slacken”), and also influenced by Middle French ralenter, ralentir (“to abate; to slow down”) (modern French ralentir), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’ having intensifying effect) + alenter, alentir (“to slow down”) (from Old French alentir, from a- (prefix denoting entering a state or progressing towards a goal) + lent (“slow”) (from Latin lentus (“slow, sluggish”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lentos (“pliant; soft; smooth”)) + -ir (suffix forming infinitives of verbs)).
› In a relentless manner.
In a manner unrelenting or unyielding in severity; unrelentingly.
- Near-synonyms: harshly, pitilessly, ruthlessly
- For sleep, he knew, kept most relentlessly / Its precious charge, and silent death exposed, / Faithless perhaps as sleep, a shadowy lure, / With doubtful smile mocking its own strange charms.1815 September 10 – December 14, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Alastor; or, The Spirit of Solitude”, in Alastor; or, The Spirit of Solitude: And Other Poems, London: […] Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, […]; and Carpenter and Son, […] [b]y S[amuel] Hamilton, […], published 1816, →OCLC, page 21:
1 more example
- He said gardaí had responded professionally to "thuggish violence" in the area and those arrested would be "charged, named and dealt with relentlessly" by the criminal justice system.2025 October 22, PA Media, quoting Jim O’Callaghan, “Second night of unrest in Dublin as protesters target asylum hotel”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 06 Dec 2025:
In a steady and persistent manner; unceasingly.
- My friend is one of thoſe people, vvho having formerly cut a very gay figure in the vvorld, is ſtill ambitious of ſpreading the May-bloom of tvventy-five upon the vvinter of threeſcore; and deſirous of diſplaying in the fulneſs of his ſpirits, that ſprightlineſs and vivacity vvhich time has relentleſsly taken from his perſon: […]1763? April 2, [Hugh Kelly], “Saturday, April 2 [1763?]”, in The Babler. Containing a Careful Selection from those Entertaining and Interesting Essays, […], volume I, number LXI, London: […] J[ohn] Newbery, […]; L. Hawes, W. Clarke, and R. Collins, […]; and J[ames] Harrison, […], published 1767, →OCLC, page 265:
- The vision must be shared. The leadership team must believe in it and pursue it relentlessly, along with the leader herself.2022, Gary A. Garfield, “Vision: Lesson #2”, in Driving Results: Six Lessons Learned from Transforming an Iconic Company, Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, part II (The Six Lessons for Change), page 105:
- Derived terms
- unrelentlessly
- Related terms
- relent, relentless