pertinacity

American  

[pur-tn-as-i-tee] / ˌpɜr tnˈæs ɪ ti /

noun

1. the quality of being pertinacious; persistence.

   Synonyms:

   resolution, determination, firmness

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Related Words

See perseverance.

Etymology

Origin of pertinacity

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Late Latin pertinācitās, for Latin pertinācia “stubbornness, perseverance” (from obsolete pertinacy ), equivalent to pertināci- (stem of pertināx ) “steadfast, stubborn” + -tās noun suffix ( -ty ² ). See per-, tenacity

Explanation

Pertinacity is a quality of sticking with something, no matter what. It's a type of persistent determination. People who have pertinacity won't give up, and they stick with things doggedly. Pursuing a difficult career requires pertinacity. Pertinacity is a mix of courage, conviction, and a little stubbornness. Pertinacity requires a strong will and self-confidence. Pertinacity can also be called perseverance, persistence, and tenaciousness. Pertinacity is related to the word tenacity, which is also a quality that combines determination and commitment.

Example Sentences

In many ways, he was like a north star, his effervescent personality and endearing pertinacity emitting a guiding light through the sport’s most transitional times.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2021

Any avant-gardist of this pertinacity should continue to provoke debate.

From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2017

That sensibility more or less aligned with the mood of Clinton, whose efforts had the patient pertinacity of someone trying to make a case for something reasonable at the D.M.V.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 27, 2016

It is only the pertinacity of the mind/body dichotomy that sustains the notion that a sufficient biological account of the brain would be reductionist in the negative sense.

From The Guardian • Jun. 4, 2010

But in the end Buck’s pertinacity was rewarded; for the wolf, finding that no harm was intended, finally sniffed noses with him.

From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London