doggedly

American  

[daw-gid-lee, dog-id‐] / ˈdɔ gɪd li, ˈdɒg ɪd‐ /

adverb

1. in a persistent or tenacious manner.

   She worked doggedly and tirelessly, overseeing nearly every aspect of the show.

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Etymology

Origin of doggedly

dogged ¹ ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

The adverb doggedly means "tenaciously" or "with strong determination." If your dog ran away, you might doggedly pursue him across the park, down the road, and through the woods. Doggedly is the adverb form of the adjective dogged. In the 1300s, both words meant having the negative qualities of a dog, or mean and cruel. By the late 1700s, both had evolved to mean "persistent" and "with determination." If you doggedly insisted on your innocence, despite the evidence linking you to your brother's missing baseball mitt, you might then search doggedly for the mitt, not stopping until you found it in the dog house.

Example Sentences

But nobody in all of college basketball has pursued that trend as doggedly as Underwood.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

The pair had remained doggedly together, as she had said: "We're divorced to each other, not from each other."

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

The Italian doggedly held serve despite facing multiple set points, but it was only delaying the inevitable as Djokovic sealed the opening set in 47 minutes.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

But it remains surprising that its members continue to stick doggedly to their story in the face of unambiguous video evidence contradicting it.

From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026

Tears were streaming down the maester's face, yet he shook his head doggedly.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• adamantly
• decisively
• persistently
• resolutely
• staunchly
• steadfastly
• strictly
• stubbornly
• tenaciously