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persistent meaning and examples

2025-09-07

Meaning

Persistent means continuing firmly or stubbornly in an action, belief, or course of conduct despite difficulty or opposition. It can also describe something that continues for a long time without stopping, such as a condition, problem, or feeling.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Adjective

  • Used to describe people, behaviors, problems, or conditions.

  • Sentence structure:

    • persistent + noun → "a persistent effort"
    • be persistent in (doing) something → "She was persistent in asking questions."

Common Phrases

  • persistent effort – continuous and determined effort
  • persistent problem – a problem that does not go away
  • persistent rumors – rumors that keep circulating
  • persistent rain – rain that continues for a long time

Collocations

  • adverbs + persistent: very persistent, remarkably persistent, annoyingly persistent
  • verbs + persistent: remain persistent, become persistent, seem persistent
  • persistent + nouns: noise, pain, cough, student, question

Examples

  1. She was persistent in her attempts to master English grammar.
  2. The child’s persistent questions eventually tired his parents.
  3. Despite persistent problems, the team managed to complete the project.
  4. He showed persistent determination to achieve his goals.
  5. The doctor treated her for a persistent cough.
  6. Persistent rumors about the politician’s resignation spread quickly.
  7. The persistent rain spoiled our weekend plans.
  8. Success often requires persistent effort over many years.
  • determined
  • tenacious
  • unrelenting
  • relentless
  • enduring

Antonym

  • temporary
  • occasional
  • intermittent
  • inconsistent