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uncompromising

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Etymology and origin of the English word uncompromising

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1799
Ultimate origin
Latin comprōmittō

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ʌnˈkɒmprəmaɪzɪŋ/, /ʌŋˈkɒmprəmaɪzɪŋ/[1]
  • US: /ʌnˈkɑːmprəmaɪzɪŋ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + compromising,[2][3][4][5][6] the present participle of the verb compromise.[3][4][5] The noun compromise is from Old French compromis, from Latin comprōmissum, the past participle of comprōmittō (“to make a mutual promise”),[2][3] formed from com- (“with, together”) and prōmittō (“to promise”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Inflexible, unyielding: Etymonline dates it to 1799,[3] and Merriam-Webster Unabridged to 1800.[4] The OED's first record is from 1828, in Bulwer-Lytton's Pelham, said of a person.[2]

Semantic evolution

The OED records the word first of people (1828), then of feelings and attitudes of mind (1830), and finally, from 1875, figuratively of things.[2] It also came to mean harsh or relentless, and direct or outspoken.[7][5]

Timeline

  • 1799 – inflexible, unyielding.[3] Merriam-Webster Unabridged dates it to 1800, and the OED to 1828, in Bulwer-Lytton.[4][2]
  • 1830 – of feelings and attitudes.[2]
  • 1875 – figuratively, of things.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not willing to make concessions or to compromise; inflexible or unyielding: The union took an uncompromising line in the talks.[8][4][7]
  2. Harsh, relentless or blunt; making no allowance for comfort or taste: the uncompromising concrete of the new library.[7][5]

Word family

  • uncompromisingly
  • uncompromisingness

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Uncompromising.” Etymologically, 2 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/uncompromising. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·