dogged
1 Americanadjective
adjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See stubborn.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dogged
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English: “having characteristics of a dog”; see dog, -ed 3
Explanation
Someone who's dogged is stubbornly persistent. In the old Looney Tunes cartoons, Wile E. Coyote's pursuit of the Road Runner is dogged. He simply will not give up. You can see the word dog within the word dogged. It's no trick. If you're dogged, you are as obstinate and tenacious as a dog who smells a bone. An earlier definition of this adjective was more general, meaning "having the qualities of a dog." Today, though, if someone describes you as dogged, they simply mean that you won't stop until you get what you want.
Vocabulary lists containing dogged
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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.
But now after years of being dogged by planning and more recently political delays it is to be scaled right back.
From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026
The Post’s Page Six has been particularly dogged, dropping new details the minute they’re confirmed: A 40-foot mirror ball!
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026
But after advancing from third place in the group here with a dogged victory over Turkey and a scoreless draw against Australia, La Albirroja was playing with house money.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
The negotiators aim to tackle some of the most intractable issues that have dogged US-Iranian relations for decades, including Tehran's nuclear programme and enriched uranium.
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
I’ve crossed paths with her briefly a couple of times since my arrival, and was dogged by the feeling I’d met her before.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
