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persevere

[pur-suh-veer]
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verb (used without object), per·se·vered, per·se·ver·ing.

to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.
to persist in speech, interrogation, argument, etc.; insist.

verb (used with object), per·se·vered, per·se·ver·ing.

to bolster, sustain, or uphold: unflagging faith that had persevered him.

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RELATED WORDS

proceed, pursue, endure, persist, remain, continue, maintain

Origin of persevere

1325–75; Middle English perseveren < Middle French perseverer < Latin persevērāre to persist, derivative of persevērus very strict. See per-, severe

Synonym study

1. See continue.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for persevered

Contemporary Examples of persevered

Historical Examples of persevered

  • Eudora persevered in silence, but her agitation obviously increased.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • Yet, her spirit triumphed, and again she persevered in that resolve to live straight.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • It will effect a cure if persevered in; sometimes in less than a week.

  • But we persevered and found nature responsive to our demands.

  • The friends at home sent him another small remittance, and he persevered.

    Self-Help

    Samuel Smiles

British Dictionary definitions for persevered

persevere

verb

(intr often foll by in) to show perseverance
Derived Formspersevering, adjectiveperseveringly, adverb

Word Origin for persevere

C14: from Old French perseverer, from Latin persevērāre, from perseverus very strict; see severe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for persevered

persevere

v.

mid-14c., from Old French perseverer "continue, persevere, endure" and directly from Latin perseverare "continue steadfastly, persist," from persevereus "very strict, earnest," from per- "very" (see per) + severus "strict" (see severity). Related: Persevered; persevering.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper