unbendingEnglishOxford American Thesaurusunbending adjective 1 the giraffe moves toward me on unbending legs: stiff, rigid, inflexible, unpliable, inelastic, unmalleable; straight, undeviating, linear, unswerving, uncurving, as straight as an arrow. ▷antonyms flexible. 2 an unbending and somewhat formal man: aloof, formal, stiff, reserved, remote, distant, forbidding, standoffish, strait-laced, conventional, stuffy, cool, unfeeling, unemotional, unfriendly, austere; informal uptight. ▷antonyms relaxed, informal. 3 the unbending attitudes of the authorities: uncompromising, inflexible, unyielding, unfaltering, unwavering, hard-line, tough, harsh, strict, stern, severe, firm, resolute, determined, unrelenting, relentless, inexorable, intransigent, immovable.