Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insistence
Explanation
Insistence is when someone persists in forcefully asking for or requiring something. A parent's insistence might be the only reason an unmotivated teenager sits down and does his homework. A store manager's insistence on selling things for the lowest prices might be the thing that keeps customers coming back, and your insistence on reading your speech first in class might get you to the front of the line. When you insist on something, you demand it — both words come from the Latin insistere, "persist, dwell upon, or stand upon," from in-, "upon," and sistere, "take a stand."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Guzzo said that Kennedy’s comments reflect an insistence on finding a physiological reason for population decline, despite there being no evidence for that.
From Salon • May 15, 2026
Outgoing Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends Friday, plans to remain on the Fed’s board despite President Trump’s insistence he leave.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
His party Pheu Thai's insistence that from now on he will remain in the background could not stop feverish media speculation over what role he might still play in Thai politics.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
“The market reaction to the appointment of Heidi O’Neill reflects shareholder frustration with the board’s seemingly stubborn insistence on staying the course despite the challenges in the business,” Wilson said in the letter.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026
In the theater, passion and perfectionism and insistence on aesthetic standards are prized qualities, not unruly and unwelcome traits.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
