doggedness

American  

[daw-gid-nis, dog-id-] / ˈdɔ gɪd nɪs, ˈdɒg ɪd- /

noun

1. persistence in effort; tenacity or perseverance.

   It was the team captain’s doggedness and never-say-die approach that helped us qualify for the Olympics.

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Etymology

Origin of doggedness

dogged ¹ ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

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Explanation

Doggedness is a quality of being stubborn and persistent, like the doggedness of a skateboarder attempting a new trick over and over again until they get it just right. When this word was first used in the 14th century, it meant "with the qualities of a dog," but not in a good way — to be dogged was to act nasty or surly, and doggedness was a quality of cruelty, like a really mean dog might have. Both words evolved over the years and now imply persistence and tenacity, like a dog digging determinedly for a bone it has buried in the yard.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

doggedness

Mr. de Moura, brilliant but unassuming, keeps the project on track through sheer doggedness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

His doggedness would be almost admirable, if “We Will Dance Again” wasn’t so lazy.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

Surrey were grateful for Sibley who dug in with a doggedness that Warwickshire supporters know well from watching him pass 50 on 16 occasions at Edgbaston.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

The memoir displays Dunthorne’s gift for wry understatement and his doggedness as a researcher: he dug through archives, toted around a Geiger counter and even cooked food that his great-grandfather once consumed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025

Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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