pertinacious

[ pur-tn-ey-shuhs ]

adjective

1. holding tenaciously to a purpose, course of action, or opinion; resolute.

   Synonyms: persevering

2. stubborn or obstinate.

   Synonyms: dogged

3. extremely or objectionably persistent:

   a pertinacious salesman from whom I could not escape.

pertinacious

/ ˌpɜːtɪˈnæsɪtɪ; ˌpɜːtɪˈneɪʃəs /

adjective

1. doggedly resolute in purpose or belief; unyielding
2. stubbornly persistent

Derived Forms

• pertinacity, noun
• ˌpertiˈnaciously, adverb

Other Words From

• perti·nacious·ly adverb
• perti·nacious·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pertinacious¹

First recorded in 1620–30; pertinaci(ty) + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of pertinacious¹

C17: from Latin pertināx, from per- (intensive) + tenāx clinging, from tenēre to hold

Example Sentences

It proved to be an extreme endurance test, and so it figures that James, the pertinacious King of the league, would carry the Los Angeles Lakers past all of the obstacles.

From Washington Post

Despite this, the pertinacious ranger does possess the precious commodity of self-knowledge.

From Los Angeles Times

They are anything but a phlegmatic people, yet they are obdurate, they are pertinacious, they finish plastering joints.

From Literature

Second, we are an ingenious, resourceful and pertinacious species.

From US News

The pertinacious meme that we would somehow benefit from eating more saturated fat, and thus its principal sources – meat, butter, cheese – is a product of misinterpretations of sequential answers to a series of dubious questions.

From US News