Relentless

My word for today is relentless.

To relent is to stop. When we add the sufffix -less, it makes it negative, and so this adjective means without stopping. If a person is relentless, they won't stop, no matter what happens!

We can change relentless into an adverb by adding -ly. For example, "it rained relentlessly during our vacation."

I think that one's feeling about this concept depends on the situation. Sometimes we admire a person for being relentlessly positive or optimistic, but sometimes not. Also, when you see this word in the news, the context will usually tell you whether the relentless person or thing is considered to be good or bad. A relentless pursuit of the cure for cancer seems good, while a relentless pursuit of money and fame might not seem so good, depending on the person's behavior...

P.S. This photo is from the film "The Limits of Control," directed by Jim Jarmusch