persevering

American  

[pur-suh-veer-ing] / ˌpɜr səˈvɪər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. displaying perseverance; resolutely persistent; steadfast.

   a persevering student.

---

Usage

What does persevering mean? Persevering is used to describe people who persevere—continue to do or try to achieve something despite difficulty or discouragement. A close synonym is persistent. Persevering can also be used to describe the efforts of such people. The word is typically used in a positive way to describe people who don’t give up no matter what. A persevering person keeps trying despite major challenges and setbacks. Persevering is also the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb persevere. People who are persevering are said to show perseverance, which is the quality of those who persevere, as in You showed great perseverance by recovering from your injury to compete at an even higher level. Example: Despite the many challenges they faced, our persevering students managed to finish what they started.

Other Word Forms

• nonpersevering adjective
• perseveringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of persevering

First recorded in 1640–50; persevere + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Ms. Alexander, deservedly Oscar-nominated for the role, creates a grounded, subtle portrait of persevering motherhood, Carol’s husband never having returned from San Francisco and very likely dead.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

"It just goes to show you... just to keep persevering, my team and everybody behind me, it means so much to come away as Olympic champion."

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

But, wrote Clough "something told me he was worth persevering with".

From Barron's • Dec. 25, 2025

But the show gently yet cleverly pushed back against any detractors, opening with “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande singing a medley of three songs from the “Wizard of Oz” musical universe about persevering.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2025

He’d had a cordial, lonely, persevering face, and Ishmael turned now to stare into it, for there was a portrait of Arthur hung on the wall just to the left of a bookcase.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson