persistence
Americannoun
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the act or fact of persisting.
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the quality of being persistent.
You have persistence, I'll say that for you.
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continued existence or occurrence.
the persistence of smallpox.
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the continuance of an effect after its cause is removed.
noun
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the quality of persisting; tenacity
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the act of persisting; continued effort or existence
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the continuance of an effect after the cause of it has stopped
persistence of vision
Synonym Usage
See perseverance.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of persistence
Explanation
Persistence is the ability to stick with something. If you practice the violin for over a year in order to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" perfectly, that's persistence! Persistence can also mean something that lasts for a very long time. The persistence of bullying, despite years of efforts by the school, has frustrated many parents. Bed bugs are known for their persistence. Despite near eradication in the 1950s, they are back and harder to eliminate than ever.
Vocabulary lists containing persistence
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "P"
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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.
This reflected "the exceptional persistence of heat" so far this summer, Copernicus said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
"They are objective-driven, set their own sub-goals, adapt in real time to bypass defences, and operate with a machine-speed persistence that can overwhelm manual operations," the paper reads.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
But persistence has been a hallmark of Wrobleski’s career, dating to his college years, when he infamously bounced back from a car hitting him on a scooter, and a baseball breaking his jaw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Dr. Andrea Brickey, Connot's advisor and a professor in the Department of Mining Engineering and Management at South Dakota Mines, praised both the research and the persistence behind it.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
In Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, for example, opponents of the Constitution objected to the implicit acceptance of slavery’s persistence, represented by the three-fifths clause and the twenty-year extension of the slave trade.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
