insistent
Americanadjective
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earnest or emphatic in dwelling upon, maintaining, or demanding something; persistent; pertinacious.
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compelling attention or notice.
an insistent tone.
adjective
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making continual and persistent demands
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demanding notice or attention; compelling
the insistent cry of a bird
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insistent
1615–25; < Latin insistent- (stem of in-sistēns ), present participle of insistere. See insist, -ent
Explanation
Insistent means "unwilling to let go or back down." If a salesperson is insistent, you may find it hard to walk away without buying something. Insistent shares a root with the verb insist: the Latin word insistere, which means "persist, dwell upon, stand upon." If you are insistent, you won't take "no" for an answer, dwelling on your ideas, standing up for your position. Insistent can also mean "demanding attention," like the insistent ringing of the telephone at a busy office or the insistent cries of a hungry baby.
Vocabulary lists containing insistent
Unit 1: Telling Details
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"The Metamorphosis," Vocabulary from the novella
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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.
Some hosts are refusing to budge on costs, insistent that a flood of bookers are coming.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Survival has its own language—quieter than we expect, but no less insistent.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
We’ll take that over the insistent blandness and flatlining performances that “The Faithful” is serving.
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026
After meeting bassist Robbie Shakespeare in 1972, the pair built distinct rhythms such as the insistent “Rockers” groove that bolstered canonical reggae tracks.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026
Today he will not even respond to her insistent knocking.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
