pursued

[ per-sood ]

adjective

1. followed by a person or animal wishing to overtake, capture, kill, etc.; chased:

   Dogs' keen sense of smell and hunting instinct make it difficult for a pursued animal to escape.

2. being the goal or purpose that motivates a person’s striving or effort:

   Every phrase in the document has been carefully weighed to serve the pursued objective.

3. carried on or continued:

   Going from one university to another for short stays might be less beneficial than a steadily pursued course at one place.

4. practiced, as an occupation, pastime, etc.:

   Whether as a hobby or as a career, music and dance have always been among the most highly pursued performing arts.

5. studied or discussed over some time:

   This publication focuses on the long pursued question of best timing for orthodontic treatment.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of pursue ( def ).

Other Words From

• un·pur·sued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pursued¹

pursue ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Changing lives since 1974, the center works to uplift LGBTQ businesses and pursue opportunities for growth.

From No Straight News

Peale wrote that society raised roadblocks to women, which didn’t allow them to pursue science.

From Nautilus

The company’s plans could change and it might decide not to pursue an IPO, the people said.

From Fortune

Democratic Party Chair Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, however, said Beiser still needs to resign, and encouraged the board to pursue removal.

From Voice of San Diego

When we receive an unexpected reward, for instance—in what’s known as a prediction error—we experience a rush of the chemical, which teaches us to continue pursuing that behavior in the future.

From Nautilus

Rebels pursued them and killed many others, but Buamba evaded them.

From The Daily Beast

But instead he pursued a life of science, sailing all over the world to study animal species and their environments.

From The Daily Beast

If confidence and strength were instilled in her at a young age, glamour was something she pursued.

From The Daily Beast

“It does not appear, at least at that point, that she was being pursued,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

When TR again pursued the presidency in 1912 as leader of the Progressive Party, FDR identified with his cause.

From The Daily Beast

The enemy were pursued and annoyed by a few hundred of the citizens under Wooster and Arnold; the former was killed.

From Project Gutenberg

But Ulm was only the commencement of the campaign, and even after Austerlitz Napoleon pursued the enemy with grim resolution.

From Project Gutenberg

This new-found joy I long pursued in secret, afraid lest it should be discovered and despised as a folly.

From Project Gutenberg

Firing a random volley, those that lived turned and fled, pursued by the scouts.

From Project Gutenberg

And having exchanged these words, they pursued their way side by side, for a time, in silence.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• followed