Dictionary

persistent en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /pəˈsɪstənt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /pəˈsɪstənt/ (Australia)
• /pɚˈsɪstənt/ (Canada, General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Latin persistentem, present participle of persistō (“continue steadfastly”). By surface analysis, persist + -ent.

Meanings

1. Obstinately refusing to give up or let go.
   • She has had a persistent cough for weeks.
   • The most persistent tormentor was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s corresponding fixture in Iceland. His ability to run at defences is instantly striking, but it is his clever use of possession that has persuaded some shrewd judges that he is an even better prospect than Theo Walcott. 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph:
2. Insistently repetitive.
   • There was a persistent knocking on the door.
3. Indefinitely continuous.
   • There have been persistent rumours for years.
   • Although many individuals seek meaningful social connection, they face persistent barriers to sustaining relationships, including communication difficulties, social rejection, loneliness, and limited social opportunities (Elmose, 2019; Mendelson et al., 2016; Sosnowy et al., 2019). The gap between social motivation and real-life opportunities for social interaction may contribute to persistent social isolation in this population. 2025 August 13, Müjdat Erarkadaş, Kübra Özmeral Erarkadaş, Şahika Gülen Şişmanlar, “Autism Spectrum Disorder Beyond Childhood: A Comprehensive Assessment of Activities of Daily Living and Social Functioning in Turkish Adults”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, →DOI:
4. Lasting past maturity without falling off.
   • Pine cones have persistent scales.
   • The Jubulaceae have a leaf whose lobule, usually transformed into a water-sac, is normally very narrowly attached to the stem and to the dorsal lobe; indeed some Frullania taxa reproduce vegetatively by dropping the dorsal lobes, but not the lobules, and Neohattoria has caducous lobules but persistent lobes. 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 4:
5. Of data or a data structure: not transient or temporary, but remaining in existence after the termination of the program that creates it.
   • Once written to a disk file, the data becomes persistent: it will still be there tomorrow when we run the next program.
6. Describing a fractal process that has a positive Brown function
7. (of a state, qualifier:stochastic processes) non-transient.

Forms

Deriveds

persistent adrenarche syndrome · persistent truncus arteriosus · persistent vegetative state · semipersistent · null persistent · persistent sexual arousal syndrome · impersistent · persistent depressive disorder · persistent cross-site scripting · biopersistent · antipersistent · persistent genital arousal disorder · hyperpersistent · persistent cloaca · nonpersistent · non-null persistent · persistent organic pollutant · persistent cookie

Relateds

persist · persistently · persistence · persistency

Translations (120)

ja いつまでも続く (indefinitely continuous) · ja 持続性の (indefinitely continuous) · it persistente (computing: existing after the execution of the program) · pl uporczywy (insistently repetitive) · fi itsepintainen (insistently repetitive) · de beständig (botany: lasting past maturity without falling off) · mk по́стојан (insistently repetitive) · ja 長引く (indefinitely continuous) · gd leanailteach (indefinitely continuous) · eo persista (refusing to give up) · sh ȕpōran (refusing to give up) · ru упо́рный (refusing to give up) · de dauerhaft (computing: existing after the execution of the program) · fr persistant (refusing to give up) · pl uporczywy (refusing to give up) · ckb بەردەوام بوون (refusing to give up) · de ständig (indefinitely continuous) · enm dregh (refusing to give up) · gd leanailteach (refusing to give up) · la iūgis (indefinitely continuous) · fi pysyvä (botany: lasting past maturity without falling off) · mk на́стојчив (refusing to give up) · mi pūnoke (refusing to give up) · ja 執拗な (insistently repetitive) · it durevole (refusing to give up) · mi aumou (refusing to give up) · ru усто́йчивый (indefinitely continuous) · fi toistuva (indefinitely continuous) · ru постоя́нный (indefinitely continuous) · it incessante (insistently repetitive) · ja 不屈の (refusing to give up) · fi jatkuva (indefinitely continuous) · mk и́страен (refusing to give up) · bg постоя́нен (insistently repetitive) · fr tenace (refusing to give up) · pt persistente (refusing to give up) · nl hardnekkig (indefinitely continuous) · gl teimudo (refusing to give up) · he נשנה (math: non-transient) · pl nieustanny (indefinitely continuous) · pl ciągły (refusing to give up) · it persistente (botany: lasting past maturity without falling off) · ru насто́йчивый (insistently repetitive) · vi kiên trì (refusing to give up) · mi ngana (refusing to give up) · el επίμονος (refusing to give up) · bg постоя́нен (refusing to give up) · de hartnäckig (indefinitely continuous) · fi pysyvä (computing: existing after the execution of the program) · pl bezustanny (refusing to give up) · pdt aunhoolent (refusing to give up) · gd leanailteach (insistently repetitive) · ja 頑固な (refusing to give up) · cmn 持續的 /持续的 (refusing to give up) · he מתמיד (insistently repetitive) · ja しつこい (insistently repetitive) · bg упори́т (refusing to give up) · pl trwały (computing: existing after the execution of the program) · mi niwaniwa (indefinitely continuous) · gd leanmhainneach (insistently repetitive) · de persistierend (botany: lasting past maturity without falling off) · ru неотсту́пный (refusing to give up) · ckb بەردەوام بوون (insistently repetitive) · fi pysyvä (math: non-transient) · bg непеходен (math: non-transient) · it insistente (refusing to give up) · hu kitartó (refusing to give up) · ca persistent (refusing to give up) · vi dai dẳng (refusing to give up) · ru сто́йкий (botany: lasting past maturity without falling off) · de andauernd (indefinitely continuous) · bg постоя́нен (indefinitely continuous) · mk по́стојан (computing: existing after the execution of the program) · mi pikoni (refusing to give up) · gl persistente (refusing to give up) · fi sitkeä (refusing to give up) · ru постоя́нный (insistently repetitive) · de beharrlich (refusing to give up) · mk по́стојан (indefinitely continuous) · de unaufhörlich (insistently repetitive) · hu állhatatos (refusing to give up) · de anhaltend (indefinitely continuous) · it tenace (refusing to give up) · ja しつこい (refusing to give up) · de ausdauernd (refusing to give up) · be насто́йлівы (refusing to give up) · enm dregh (indefinitely continuous) · de hartnäckig (refusing to give up) · pl ciągły (indefinitely continuous) · fi sinnikäs (refusing to give up) · ja 固執した (refusing to give up) · el επίμονος (insistently repetitive) · sh у̏по̄ран (refusing to give up) · ru постоя́нный (computing: existing after the execution of the program) · mk на́стојчив (insistently repetitive) · he עקשן (refusing to give up) · pl wytrwały (refusing to give up) · es persistente (refusing to give up) · fi jatkuva (insistently repetitive) · cy dyfal (refusing to give up) · nl volhardend (refusing to give up) · mk у́порен (refusing to give up) · uk настійний (refusing to give up) · pl bezustanny (insistently repetitive) · mi pakepake (refusing to give up) · it insistente (insistently repetitive) · mk и́здржлив (botany: lasting past maturity without falling off) · cmn 頑固的 /顽固的 (refusing to give up) · de dauerhaft (botany: lasting past maturity without falling off) · gd leanmhainneach (refusing to give up) · de beharrlich (insistently repetitive) · cmn 固執的 /固执的 (refusing to give up) · uk насті́йливий (refusing to give up) · ota یاپشقان (refusing to give up) · bg неопадащ (botany: lasting past maturity without falling off) · la pervicax (refusing to give up) · fi sinnikäs (insistently repetitive) · ru насто́йчивый (refusing to give up) · mk по́стојан (refusing to give up) · it continuo (indefinitely continuous)