Literary notes about unconscionable (AI summary)
The term "unconscionable" has been employed in literature with a flexible range of connotations. At times it is used to accentuate extreme moral failings or outrageous behavior; for example, it labels deceit as in the case of an "unconscionable liar" accused of fabricating heroic deeds [1], and it condemns base character traits by comparing a person to a "dog" or a "shark" [2][3]. In other instances, the word serves to both moderate and intensify descriptions—whether downplaying an act to say it's “not unconscionable” [4] or highlighting blatant insolence [5]. Authors like Chekhov [6] and Dickens [7] further illustrate its versatility, applying it to both personal flaws and broader societal observations, such as depicting an entire era as “an unconscionable age” [8]. Through these varied examples, "unconscionable" emerges as a powerful, multi-dimensional descriptor that enriches characterizations and critiques in literature.
- Either the sergeant or his chronicler must have been an unconscionable liar, as it was asserted that all this was done with only fifteen men.
— from Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney - For you tell me he's an unconscionable dog, a ravenous rascal.'
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - “There is an unconscionable old shark for you!” said Herbert.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - That's all I ask, and surely that's not unconscionable.'
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - The reason was that they had long grown accustomed to our unconscionable insolence.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - Kukushkin lied about himself in an unconscionable way, and they did not exactly disbelieve him, but paid little heed to his incredible stories.
— from The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - I am not so unconscionable as to think it likely that you would accept me on trust at first sight, and take me out of the very street.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - It's really an unconscionable age.
— from Adam Bede by George Eliot
