persistence

[ per-sis-tuhns, -zis- ]

noun

1. the act or fact of persisting.
2. the quality of being persistent:

   You have persistence, I'll say that for you.

3. continued existence or occurrence:

   the persistence of smallpox.

4. the continuance of an effect after its cause is removed.

persistence

/ pəˈsɪstəns /

noun

1. the quality of persisting; tenacity
2. the act of persisting; continued effort or existence
3. the continuance of an effect after the cause of it has stopped

   persistence of vision

Other Words From

• nonper·sistence noun
• nonper·sisten·cy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of persistence¹

First recorded in 1540–50; persist + -ence

Synonym Study

See perseverance.

Example Sentences

“I think there are many ways in which the persistence of poverty and lack of robust healthcare institutions in low income countries can be attributed to the behaviors and policies and decisions of larger countries,” Wenner says.

From Popular-Science

Renovation will always incur wreckage, but the key is to rebuild smarter each time, to find the path of persistence.

From Nautilus

The first was the persistence and intensity of average temperatures across Siberia this past January to June.

From Science News For Students

“Patterns of synchronous activity have recently been purposed to underlie the persistence of memories over long periods of time,” wrote the team.

From Singularity Hub 

By studying the persistence of that information, Hoyal Cuthill and her colleagues formulated hypotheses about how the rangeomorphs changed throughout their lives.

From Quanta Magazine

They are to face oppression with humble persistence and absolute conviction.

From The Daily Beast

That development enabled the persistence of the accelerating pace that started with biological evolution.

From The Daily Beast

In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness; persistence and faith.

From The Daily Beast

Because the execution seems to just be a matter of persistence and technology.

From The Daily Beast

The dirty little secret here is the persistence of urban poverty.

From The Daily Beast

I particularly dislike the narrowness of his views, and the persistence with which he upholds them.

From Project Gutenberg

He pointed to a needle that was moving with slow certainty and deadly persistence across a graduated dial.

From Project Gutenberg

The enlargement or persistence of the thymus can be better recognised, and doctors now seldom fail to notice it.

From Project Gutenberg

Once you have learned it, you are either discouraged or fired anew with the persistence of patience.

From Project Gutenberg

Psychological reasons for the persistence in religion of a Mother Goddess.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• endurance
• grit
• perseverance
• stamina
• tenacity