Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RELENT & UNRELENTING
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pronounce
RELENT:
Say it "ruh LENT."
Or, if you prefer, "ree LENT."
To hear it, click here.
pronounce
UNRELENTING:
Say it "UN ruh LEN ting."
To hear it, click here.
connect these words to others:
"Hey, do you know what relent means?"
"Sure, of course."
"What does it mean?"
"It means, like, to stop... um, to do less... to be less... like if someone wants you to do something, but you don't want to, and then... okay, if they want you to stop doing something, but you don't want to... I don't know how to explain it. But I know what it means."
I've been in this kind of conversation many times! Maybe you have, too.
When we stumble on a word we "know," but then realize it's hard to define it, we've got a wonderful opportunity to look closer at that word. To see if we can nail down its exact meaning. And to think about how we might actually use it ourselves, instead of just recognizing it when it comes along.
With that in mind, try this! On the list of words below, which would you find the most difficult to define? Or, which have you hardly ever used in your own speech or writing?
Allay
Fester
Glean
Scuttle
Wane
I invite you to spend a little time on that word: see if it can be of use to you in the coming weeks.
definition of "relent:"
We took the word "relent" from a French one that means "to melt, or to soften." From French, it traces back to the Latin lentus, meaning "slow."
When your mood or your behavior has been firm, harsh, or mean, but then you soften up, you've relented.
In other words, to relent is to act in a softer, gentler, or more open way than before, especially by finally saying "okay" or "yes" after having said "no" for a long time.
definition of "unrelenting:"
If someone or something stays firm, harsh, or mean, continually hurting or bothering someone over and over or again and again, never softening up, it's unrelenting.
More loosely, if someone stays firm and persistent, trying again and again, as if unwilling to give up in the face of failure, then that person is unrelenting.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
"Relent" is a verb, the uncountable kind: "She finally relented today;" "Hours passed before the hurricane relented."
"Unrelenting" is an adjective: "his unrelenting attempts;" "this unrelenting storm." Its adverb is "unrelentingly."
Other forms:
We sometimes use "relent" as a noun, mostly in phrases like "It happened without relent" and "It continued with no sign of relent."
"Relentment" is also an acceptable noun, but it's rare.
"Relentless," too, is an adjective. Its adverb is "relentlessly," and its noun, "relentlessness." So what's the difference between "relentless" and "unrelenting"? The meaning is the same, but the tone is slightly different. "Unrelenting" is a little more dramatic, a little more emphatic, compared to "relentless."
"Relentful," the opposite of "relentless," is rare and can be funny. You might pick it to describe someone who gives up easily when they're expected to keep trying. Here's the New York Times: "He is kept off the hook by relentful investigators."
how to use them:
These are common words with a formal tone.
"Relent" is usually positive, suggesting that someone is growing kinder, more open, more merciful, or more generous. "They begged and begged their mom for a kitten until she relented."
"Unrelenting" can be positive when it describes people doing good things: "his unrelenting pursuit of a job," "her unrelenting advocacy for the elderly." But it can just as easily be negative: "her unrelenting nitpicking," "their unrelenting micromanaging," "the unrelenting itch of psoriasis," "the unrelenting pain of fresh grief."
examples:
"She is tempting me toward the door with a trail of tiny marshmallows. I try to ignore her... But I relent when she adds yogurt raisins to the trail."
— Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan, 2012
"Trees drooped in the unrelenting summer sun; grass and leaves dried out."
— Jim Murphy, The Great Fire, 1995
has this page helped you understand "relent" & "unrelenting"?
study them:
Explain the meaning of "relent" without saying "yield" or "ease off."
And, explain the meaning of "unrelenting" without saying "unyielding" or "not easing off."
try one out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) at first refused to (do something), but when (something happened), they relented."
Example 1: "She at first refused to try the apples, but when I offered caramel dip, she relented."
Example 2: "Vincent at first refused to let me play, but when I offered my Life Savers as replacements for the buttons that filled in for the missing pieces, he relented."
— Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, 1989
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is "Clues in Cobbled Haikus."
Check out the haiku, cobbled together from the work of a famous writer, and see if you can identify the term it's suggesting.
Try this one today:
Cobbled from the work of Emily Dickinson, the haiku below suggests which of the following terms: opulent, festina lente, or pestilential?
We slowly drove – He
knew no haste – And I had put
Away my labor.
To see the answer, scroll all the way down.
review this word:
A. ABHORRENT (disgusting).
B. ACQUIESCENT (giving in).
C. ALTRUISTIC (helpful and selfless).
2.
In a movie review for the Guardian, Jordan Hoffman wrote that the "film _____ until you relent and say, yes, I like these people and it's fun to watch them all have such a good time."
A. relaxes you
B. wears you down
C. makes you laugh
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
"Hey, do you know what relent means?"
We took the word "relent" from a French one that means "to melt, or to soften." From French, it traces back to the Latin lentus, meaning "slow."
If someone or something stays firm, harsh, or mean, continually hurting or bothering someone over and over or again and again, never softening up, it's unrelenting.
Part of speech:
These are common words with a formal tone.
"She is tempting me toward the door with a trail of tiny marshmallows. I try to ignore her... But I relent when she adds yogurt raisins to the trail."
Explain the meaning of "relent" without saying "yield" or "ease off."
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) at first refused to (do something), but when (something happened), they relented."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |