1. Of persons: Having no conscience; not controlled by conscience; unscrupulous; unreasonably grasping, extortionate, harsh, etc.
1570. Apb. Parker, Corr. (Parker Soc.), 374. Christ’s holy religion,… as it may be choked with overmuch in unconscionable men’s hands, so it will fall to ground amongst beggars.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. (1882), 51. Least these cunning barbers might seeme vnconscionable in asking much for their paines.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. iii. § 20. None were rich but Treasurers and Collectors, none in fauour but vnconscionable Lawyers.
1667. Waterhouse, Fire Lond., 31. Occupancy is judged by men unconscionable, the best title.
1681. Dryden, Abs. & Achit., To Rdr. You cannot be so Unconscionable, as to charge me for not Subscribing of my Name.
1708. Mrs. Centlivre, Busy Body, II. Can you be so unconscionable, Madam, to let me say all these fine things to you without one single Compliment in return?
1765. Sterne, Tr. Shandy, VII. xvii. How can that unconscionable coachman talk so much bawdy to that lean horse?
1824. W. Irving, T. Trav., I. 242. Sometimes the unconscionable editors will clip our paragraphs.
1865. Dickens, Mut. Fr., I. viii. I am not so unconscionable as to think it likely.
1885. ‘Mrs. Alexander,’ Valerie’s Fate, i. What an unconscionable old slave-holder!… Why do you submit to such an imposition?
absol. 1623. Bp. Hall, Contempl., O. T., XIX. ii. The unconscionable will know no other law, but their profit, their pleasure.
b. With depreciatory terms, as an intensive.
1597. Beard, Theatre God’s Judgem. (1612), 457. Barnabe, Vicount of Milan,… was an vnconscionable oppressor of his subjects and tenants.
1609. W. M., Man in Moone (1849), 27. He is an insatiable cormorant,… a mercilesse mony-monger,… and unconscionable extortioner.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., I. v. § 30. Unconscionable Liars, though they most hurt themselves, do the least harm others.
1687. M. Clifford, Notes Dryden, ii. 7. You are therefore a strange unconscionable Thief.
1732. Fielding, Miser, V. xviii. I am an unconscionable beggar.
1755. Smollett, Quix. (1803), IV. 93. Your excellency may perceive what a shameless and unconscionable rogue he is.
c. As sb. An arrant rogue.
1825. Knapp & Baldwin, Newgate Cal., III. 496/1. One of the trading unconscionables.
2. Of actions, etc.: Showing no regard for conscience; not in accordance with what is right or reasonable.
1565. Calfhill, Answ. Martial, 79. Was not thys a goodly councell then? The cause so vnlawfull?… The order so vnconscionable? Brag, as ye please, of your Nice councell.
1586. J. Hooker, Hist. Irel., in Holinshed, II. 106/2. Which he rather of pleasure vttered, than of anie vnconscionable meaning purposed to haue doone.
1628. Wither, Brit. Rememb., VI. 1251. Ev’n in our Court of Conscience, some things are Unconscionable.
1653. Prynne, Gospel-plea, 14. It must needs be most unjust, unreasonable, unconscionable, and against the common rules of war.
1656. H. Phillips, Purch. Patt. (1676), 145. The errour … is so much the more unconscionable, because it gives the buyer so much less than his due.
1738. A. Hill, Lett. to Pope, 29 Aug. When I remember’d you had read it four times, I found not enough of the Poet, within me, to presume the unconscionable fifth.
1796. Mme. D’Arblay, Camilla, III. 425. So difficult was even this, in an affair so dark and unconscionable.
1828. Keightley, Fairy Mythol. (1850), 95. They plundered their pantries in a most unconscionable manner.
1890. Spectator, 19 July. St. Kevin’s behaviour on a famous occasion was not quite so unconscionable as that attributed to him by Moore.
b. Unreasonably excessive.
a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, I. xv. (1912), 99. She tooke the advauntage one daye uppon Phalantus unconscionable praysinges of her.
1598. B. Jonson, Ev. Man in Hum., I. ii. Draw your bill of charges, as unconscionable as any Guildhall verdict will give it you.
1601. F. Godwin, Bps. of Eng., 295. That wrongfull and vnconscionable raunsome.
1654. Whitelocke, Jrnl. Swed. Emb. (1772), II. 264. Such is their unconscionable exaction uppon strangers.
1671. Milton, Samson, 1245. His Giantship is gone somewhat crestfall’n, Stalking with less unconsci’nable strides, And lower looks.
1760. Sterne, Tr. Shandy, III. xxxiii. What an unconscionable jointure, my dear, do we pay out of this small estate of ours!
1785. Martyn, Lett. Bot., x. (1794), 108. This letter not being of so unconscionable a length as the former.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xii. We are out unconscionable sums just for barkened hides and leather.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., iv. I. 439. He had been, he said, a most unconscionable time dying.
1871. ‘Holme Lee,’ Miss Barrington, II. xiii. 203. He had stayed an unconscionable time—had made her quite a visitation.
c. As an intensive: Egregious, arrant.
1593. Tell-Troth’s N. Y. Gift (1876), 14. To blabb such vnconscionable vntrothes.
1603. H. Crosse, Vertues Commw. (1878), 43. Tearing out the bowelles of his brethren, with vsurie, extortion, and vnconscionable brokerie.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, V. i. 143. It seems not onely an ungentile harshness, but an unconscionable injustice.
a. 1734. North, Exam., III. ix. § 14 (1740), 657. A due Reward of unconscionable Cheating.
1782–3. W. F. Martyn, Geog. Mag., I. 308. Which sum he consented to abate in favour of those who were called upon to make up the amount of this unconscionable imposition.
3. As adv. = UNCONSCIONABLY adv. 2.
1596. Nashe, Saffron Walden, F ij. Tis an vnconscionable vast gorbellied Volume.
1807–8. W. Irving, Salmag. (1824), 272. One of Christopher’s unconscionable long stories.
1847. Robb, Squatter Life (Bartlett). ‘That’s an unconscionable slick gal of your’n,’ says I.
