Onvergeeflijk

Onvergeeflijk is a Dutch adjective meaning unforgivable. It describes actions or behavior that are considered so grave that forgiveness is deemed unlikely or inappropriate. The word is formed with the negating prefix on- attached to vergeeflijk (forgivable), with vergeeflijk deriving from the verb vergeven (to forgive). In usage, it often appears in phrases such as onvergeeflijke daad (unforgivable act), onvergeeflijke fout (unforgivable mistake), or onvergeeflijk verraad (unforgivable betrayal).

In Dutch, the term carries strong moral and ethical connotations and is commonly employed in moral, legal, religious, and literary contexts. It signals a high threshold of culpability or a breach of trust that makes reconciliation or pardon difficult to envisage. The intensity of onvergeeflijk can be heightened by context, rhetoric, or accompanying adjectives, reflecting the speaker’s or narrator’s evaluative stance.

In culture and media, onvergeeflijk is sometimes used as a title or thematic descriptor in Dutch-language works to emphasize the severity of a character’s actions or the gravity of a plot development. The word is also encountered in journalism and criticism when condemning actions deemed ethically indefensible.

Translations into English typically render it as unforgivable. The term thus functions as a strong moral qualifier in both everyday language and formal discourse, marking acts or behaviors that are viewed as beyond pardon. See also: forgiveness, repentance, moral culpability.