What does persistence mean?
Persistence is the quality of continuing steadily despite difficulty, delay, or discouragement. In its most familiar sense, it describes determination and perseverance: someone who keeps working toward a goal, refuses to be easily deterred, or remains committed after an initial setback. The word can also have a more neutral, descriptive meaning. For example, the persistence of a sound refers to the way it continues after its source has stopped, while the persistence of memory describes the way a memory can remain available over time. In ordinary positive use, persistence carries a favorable connotation because it implies resilience and sustained effort, although in scientific, legal, or technical writing it may simply describe a fact about continued existence. It is a useful word because it captures both the active effort involved in not giving up and the passive fact that something endures. It is related to persist, persistent, and insistence, all of which reflect the underlying idea of standing firm or continuing.
nounThe quality of continuing firmly and patiently despite difficulty or opposition. It can also mean the fact that something continues to exist, occur, or have an effect after its original cause has ended.
- The quality of continuing firmly and patiently despite difficulty, opposition, or discouragement.
- The continued existence, recurrence, or endurance of something after circumstances have changed or its original cause has ended.
- In technical contexts, the tendency of an effect, behavior, or sensation to continue under specified conditions.
"Her persistence in applying for the scholarship eventually earned her a place at the university."
"Years of persistence turned his small research project into a widely recognized scientific breakthrough."
"The persistence of the stain after repeated washing surprised the laboratory technician."
Rare; persistence is usually uncountable in modern use. The plural can refer to separate instances of continuation.
"The report described the persistences of the effect in several trials."
From its Latin roots, persistence is the art of standing firm: its name literally combines “thoroughly” with “stand.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does persistence come from?
The word comes from Latin persistere, meaning “to persist” or “continue,” formed from the prefix per- and the Latin verb sistere, “to stand.” The central metaphor is therefore that of standing firm or remaining in place. English borrowed the word in the early 17th century, initially in the sense of continuing or remaining, before it developed the modern sense of persevering despite difficulty. Words such as persistent, insistence, and resistance are related through the same Latin root.
How persistence is actually used
In general use, persistence is usually positive and suggests determination, patience, and refusal to abandon a goal. In technical and descriptive contexts it can be neutral, referring to the continued presence or recurrence of a phenomenon.
Easily confused with persistence
Perseverance emphasizes steady effort and determination in facing difficulties, whereas persistence can also refer simply to the continued existence or recurrence of something.