Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insistence
Explanation
Insistence is when someone persists in forcefully asking for or requiring something. A parent's insistence might be the only reason an unmotivated teenager sits down and does his homework. A store manager's insistence on selling things for the lowest prices might be the thing that keeps customers coming back, and your insistence on reading your speech first in class might get you to the front of the line. When you insist on something, you demand it — both words come from the Latin insistere, "persist, dwell upon, or stand upon," from in-, "upon," and sistere, "take a stand."
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.
One underplayed hint of potential trouble is Anthropic’s insistence on its “public benefit purpose,” which includes ensuring “the hardest problems facing humanity are not left to market forces alone to solve.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
This takes more chutzpah than Ohtani’s insistence to continue as a two-way player.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
What’s dividing fans is Julian Casablancas’ insistence on using Autotune, as many prefer his raw vocals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
But the insistence that they do brings Nixon into the room with Saddam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The childlike insistence in her tone had the blanket thrown aside and my feet hitting the cool soil-covered floor before I could think.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
