An unrepentant person maintains his attitude, ignoring criticism and warnings.
Unrepentant refers to someone who commits sin repeatedly and without repentance . This is only the first meaning of this term, according to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE).
unchanged behavior
Unrepentant is one who maintains the same attitude or behavior despite the suggestions and warnings of others or even after suffering sanctions and punishments. This definition is outside the religious sphere, but responds to the personality of the individual.
In this framework, unrepentant is used to characterize a person who persists in his or her attitude or behavior without showing regret or willingness to change. It can refer to someone who remains firm in their beliefs , despite the consequences or criticism they may face.
Take the case of a man who cheats on his girlfriend every chance he gets. His friends warn him that this behavior is not morally appropriate and some even point out the risk that his partner will finally discover the betrayal. Despite everything, the subject continues acting the same, unrepentant .
The individual who perseveres in a practice, a habit or a custom can also be described as unrepentant. An unrepentant traveler is someone who leaves his or her place of residence several times a year with the desire to discover or enjoy other regions, while an unrepentant debater generates controversies and gets involved in them constantly.
The unrepentant dying man
The painting titled San Francisco de Borja and the Impenitent Dying Man belongs to the prominent Spanish painter Francisco de Goya ( 1746 – 1828 ), and in it he reflected the meaning of this term. The artist created this work in 1788 at the request of the Dukes of Osuna , who installed it in the Cathedral of Valencia .
On the canvas, Goya presents Francisco de Borja trying to get a dying man to confess his sins . Simultaneously, some demons await the death of the subject to capture his soul. Currently, it is in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.
Saint Francis of Borja was a 16th-century Spanish nobleman who later became a saint and served as the third general of the Society of Jesus . In the painting, Goya portrays a crucial moment in the saint 's life. The unrepentant man is represented with an anguished face and expression of despair , while Saint Francis appears serene and compassionate.
Saint Francis of Borja holds a crucifix in his hand and directs his gaze towards the man, urging him to reflect on his life and seek spiritual salvation . The contrast between the calm and pious figure of the first and the expression of despair of the second creates a strong visual and symbolic impact . The work reflects the theme of redemption and the importance of repentance in the Christian religious tradition.
An unrepentant man does not repent of his actions.
Etymology
The word impenitent is derived from the combination of two Latin elements: in (meaning "not" or "without"), and paenitens (which translates as "repentant" or "penitent" ). Paenitens comes from the verb paenitere , which expresses the action of "lamenting or regretting something."
The Latin root paenitere is also related to the noun paenitentia which means " penance " or "repentance." This word was used in the religious context to refer to the act of contrition and the search for atonement for sins committed.
By adding the prefix in a paenitens , its meaning is reversed, creating the word impenitens which translates as "unrepentant" or "without penitence." Over time, this Latin form evolved into Spanish as impenitente , retaining its essence of describing someone who shows no regret or remorse for their actions.