persist

[per-sist, -zist]

See more synonyms for persist on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc.: to persist in working for world peace; to persist in unpopular political activities.
to last or endure tenaciously: The legend of King Arthur has persisted for nearly fifteen centuries.
to be insistent in a statement, request, question, etc.

Origin of persist

1530–40; < Latin persistere literally, to stand firm permanently, equivalent to per- per- + -sistere, akin to stāre to stand

Related formsper·sist·er, nounper·sist·ing·ly, adverbper·sis·tive, adjectiveper·sis·tive·ly, adverbper·sis·tive·ness, nounnon·per·sist·ing, adjectiveun·per·sist·ing, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for persist on Thesaurus.com

3. insist.

Synonym study

1, 2. See continue.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for persist

Contemporary Examples

“That said, underneath the surface differences in threat perception and how to deal with Russia persist,” he says.
Shocked by Ukraine Violence, NATO Prepares to Face Down Putin
Leo Cendrowicz
October 12, 2014
And yet the real battle might be an even harder one: against the attitudes that allow all this to persist in 21st-Century India.
Kailash Satyarthi, Malala's Nobel Peace Prize Co-Winner, Is Fighting India's Child Slavery Epidemic
Dilip D’Souza
October 11, 2014
But to persist, to endure, to put your will toward a dream that sparks you, is to live large.
From Havana to Hero: Diana Nyad’s 35-Year Quest
Diana Nyad
September 2, 2014
How then, does the Intelligent Design movement (ID) persist, in the face of so much damning contrary evidence?
The Crazy Way Creationists Try To Explain Human Tails Without Evolution
Karl W. Giberson
June 1, 2014
What allows evil to persist, Aquinas believed, is the “lack of good” by other people.
Government Has Made America Inept
Philip K. Howard
May 4, 2014

Historical Examples

Why should she persist in this eternal search for this impossible condition?
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
I beg of you to persist in your address—the unnatural brother called it address!
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
But if you persist in this way, Nat,—don't you know what it means?
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
But why will you persist in living up here without any comfort?
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
But what you do not know is that the type once established does not persist of its own accord.
City of Endless Night
Milo Hastings

British Dictionary definitions for persist

persist

verb (intr)

(often foll by in) to continue steadfastly or obstinately despite opposition or difficulty
to continue to exist or occur without interruptionthe rain persisted throughout the night

Derived Formspersister, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin persistere, from per- (intensive) + sistere to stand steadfast, from stāre to stand

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 persist

v.

1530s, from Middle French persister (14c.), from Latin persistere "abide, continue steadfastly," from per- "thoroughly" (see per) + sistere "come to stand, cause to stand still" (see assist). Related: Persisted; persisting.

persist

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}persist

Synonyms

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for persist

Contemporary Examples

“That said, underneath the surface differences in threat perception and how to deal with Russia persist,” he says.

And yet the real battle might be an even harder one: against the attitudes that allow all this to persist in 21st-Century India.

But to persist, to endure, to put your will toward a dream that sparks you, is to live large.

How then, does the Intelligent Design movement (ID) persist, in the face of so much damning contrary evidence?

What allows evil to persist, Aquinas believed, is the “lack of good” by other people.

Historical Examples

Why should she persist in this eternal search for this impossible condition?

I beg of you to persist in your address—the unnatural brother called it address!

But if you persist in this way, Nat,—don't you know what it means?

But why will you persist in living up here without any comfort?

But what you do not know is that the type once established does not persist of its own accord.

persist

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for persist

v.

Origin of persist