unpardonable
Cannot be excused
Unpardonable describes something too serious or wrong to be forgiven or excused: an unpardonable breach of trust, His rudeness was unpardonable.
The word carries moral weight—unpardonable sins, unpardonable offenses—suggesting conduct beyond what reasonable people could overlook.
Less emphatic than unforgivable, it often appears in contexts of social transgression rather than grave harm.
Cannot be pardoned
- unjustifiableCannot be reasonably defended
- indefensibleCannot be justified
- unacceptableNot meeting required standards
- unwarrantedWithout adequate justification
Odiously, shockingly evil
- atrociousAppallingly, shockingly wicked
- egregiousConspicuously awful
- monstrousFrighteningly huge or wicked
- outrageousShockingly bad or excessive
appalling · abominable · horrendous · despicable · reprehensible · flagrant · scandalous · grievous
Violation of divine law
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- treacheryDeliberate violation of trust
- blasphemyIrreverence toward the sacred
- sacrilegeViolation of the hallowed
atrocity · abomination · desecration · violation · perfidy · breach · offense · wrong
Cannot be fixed
- irremediableImpossible to correct
- irreversibleCannot be undone
- irretrievableImpossible to regain
- permanentFixed without end
incurable · damning · indelible · lasting · enduring · unforgettable · beyond redemption
unforgivable
Cannot be pardoned
- unjustifiableCannot be reasonably defended
- indefensibleCannot be justified
- unacceptableNot meeting required standards
unwarranted · impermissible · beyond the pale · unspeakable · unthinkable
heinous
Odiously, shockingly evil
- atrociousAppallingly, shockingly wicked
- egregiousConspicuously awful
- monstrousFrighteningly huge or wicked
outrageous · appalling · abominable · horrendous · despicable · reprehensible · flagrant · scandalous · grievous · shocking
sin
Violation of divine law
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- treacheryDeliberate violation of trust
- blasphemyIrreverence toward the sacred
sacrilege · atrocity · abomination · desecration · violation · perfidy · breach · offense · wrong · crime
irreparable
Cannot be fixed
- irremediableImpossible to correct
- irreversibleCannot be undone
- irretrievableImpossible to regain
permanent · incurable · damning · indelible · lasting · enduring · unforgettable · beyond redemption
unpardonablepardonable
Warranting forgiveness
forgivable · excusable · absolvable · remissible · condonable
unpardonableminor
Scale with lowered third
trivial · petty · trifling · negligible · slight
unpardonableacceptable
Meeting minimum standards
permissible · justifiable · defensible · tolerable · sanctioned
- unpardonable sinTransgression beyond forgiveness