persistent
Americanadjective
-
persisting, especially in spite of opposition, obstacles, discouragement, etc.; persevering.
a most annoyingly persistent young man.
- Synonyms:
- tenacious, pertinacious, indefatigable
-
lasting or enduring tenaciously.
the persistent aroma of verbena; a persistent cough.
-
constantly repeated; continued.
persistent noise.
- Antonyms:
- sporadic
-
Biology.
-
continuing or permanent.
-
having continuity of phylogenetic characteristics.
-
-
Botany. remaining attached beyond the usual time, as flowers, flower parts, or leaves.
adjective
-
showing persistence
-
incessantly repeated; unrelenting
your persistent questioning
-
(of plant parts) remaining attached to the plant after the normal time of withering
a fruit surrounded by a persistent perianth
-
zoology
-
(of parts normally present only in young stages) present in the adult
persistent gills in axolotls
-
continuing to grow or develop after the normal period of growth
persistent teeth
-
-
(of a chemical, esp when used as an insecticide) slow to break down; not easily degradable
Related Words
See stubborn.
Other Word Forms
- nonpersistent adjective
- nonpersistently adverb
- persistently adverb
Etymology
Origin of persistent
First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin persistent- (stem of persistēns ), present participle of persistere “to stand firm, persist”; persist, -ent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The findings highlight the urgency of preventing further plastic pollution before it breaks down into an even more persistent and invisible problem.
From Science Daily
"The gut is essentially waiting to confirm that the threat is real and persistent before it tells the brain to change your behavior."
From Science Daily
Until we see persistent, continual job losses over a long period of time across the entire economy, the safe bet is that history is simply rhyming.
From Barron's
Argentina has argued that having to pay the settlement -- $18 billion including interest, it says -- would cause severe harm to the finances of a country with persistent debt and inflation problems.
From Barron's
Barr said it “makes sense to take some time to assess conditions,” stressing the risk that inflation could prove more persistent.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
