- present participle of endure.
enduring
Americanadjective
-
lasting; permanent.
a poet of enduring greatness.
-
patient; long-suffering.
adjective
-
permanent; lasting
-
having forbearance; long-suffering
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of enduring
Explanation
Many people have an enduring love for ice cream, that is, they have loved it for a long time and will continue to love it into the future. Enduring means long-lasting. Enduring has roots that go back about 1,500 years to the Late Latin period. It is quite an enduring word! The original root meant hard, so your enduring friendship or your enduring interest in sports is solid enough to stand the test of time. Besides meaning long-lasting, enduring sometimes means long-suffering as when someone has an enduring disposition, but this meaning is found in the verb more than in the adjective.
Vocabulary lists containing enduring
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Franklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941)
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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.
Thoughtful and measured, the movie stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a husband and wife enduring similar accusations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Withers, the soul singer also known for enduring hits “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me,” and jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. released “Just the Two of Us” in 1981 for the latter’s “Winelight” album.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
The drought has ruined pleasure boat tourism, while some question whether the lake will ever return to enduring full health.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Dorfman says Americans’ enduring appetite for novelty has gotten stronger recently as people seek out the low-tech thrills of earlier eras.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
On her grave I planted a rosemary bush, and it proves as enduring as an evergreen tree.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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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.