Meanings
nounperseverance (usually uncountable, plural perseverances)
plural perseverances · alternative archaic perseveraunce · alternative misspelling perseverence · alternative misspelling perserverance
- uncountableusuallyContinuing in a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition or previous failure.
It had taken nine years from the evening that Truman first showed up with a pie plate at her mother's door, but his dogged perseverance eventually won him the hand of his boyhood Sunday school crush.
2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential CourageSynonyms: persistence, sticktoitiveness, steadfastness · Antonyms: nonperseverance, unperseverance
Synonyms & antonyms
nounContinuing in a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition or previous failure.
Opposite
More synonyms by meaning
nounpersistent determination
Broader
nounthe act of persisting or persevering; continuing or repeating behavior
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinpersevērantia
- Old Frenchperseverance
- Middle Englishperseveraunce
- Englishperseverance
From Middle English perseveraunce, from Old French perseverance, from Latin persevērantia.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُثَابَرَة
- مُثَابَرَة (muṯābara)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Bulgarian постоянство, настойчивост
- постоянство (postojanstvo)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- настойчивост (nastojčivost)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Catalan perseverança
- perseverançapersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Chinese Mandarin 恆心 /恒心, 毅力
- 恆心 /恒心 (héngxīn)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- 毅力 (yìlì)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Czech vytrvalost, úpornost
- vytrvalostpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- úpornostpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Dutch volharding, vasthoudendheid
- volhardingpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- vasthoudendheidpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- doorzettingsvermogenpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Esperanto persisto
- persistopersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Finnish hellittämättömyys, periksiantamattomuus
- hellittämättömyyspersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- periksiantamattomuuspersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- sinnikkyyspersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- itsepintaisuuspersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- peräänantamattomuuspersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- määrätietoisuuspersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- sitkeyspersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
French persévérance
- persévérancepersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
German Beharrlichkeit, Ausdauer
- Beharrlichkeitpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- Ausdauerpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- Durchhaltevermögenpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Greek επιμονή
- επιμονή (epimoní)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Hindi दृढ़ता
- दृढ़ता (dŕṛhtā)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Hungarian állhatatosság, kitartás
- állhatatosságpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- kitartáspersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Icelandic þrautseigja, þolgæði
- þrautseigjapersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- þolgæðipersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- harðfylgipersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Irish buanseasmhacht, buanseasamh
- buanseasmhachtpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- buanseasamhpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Italian perseveranza
- perseveranzapersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Japanese 忍耐
- 忍耐 (nintai)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Korean 끈기, 인내
- 끈기 (kkeun'gi)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- 인내 (innae)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Latin persevērantia
- persevērantiapersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Māori hiringa, hohotatanga
- hiringapersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- hohotatangapersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- manawanuipersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Norwegian Bokmål utholdenhet
- utholdenhetpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Persian پشتکار
- پشتکارpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Polish wytrwałość
- wytrwałośćpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Portuguese perseverança
- perseverançapersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Romanian perseverență, stăruință
- perseverențăpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- stăruințăpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Russian упо́рство, насто́йчивость
- упо́рство (upórstvo)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- насто́йчивость (nastójčivostʹ)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- сто́йкость (stójkostʹ)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- уси́дчивость (usídčivostʹ)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Slovak vytrvalosť, úpornosť
- vytrvalosťpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- úpornosťpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Spanish perseverancia
- perseveranciapersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Swedish ihärdighet
- ihärdighetpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Tamil ஊக்கம், விடாமுயற்சி
- ஊக்கம் (ūkkam)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- விடாமுயற்சி (viṭāmuyaṟci)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Turkish azim, tahammül
- azimpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- tahammülpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- sabırpersistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Ukrainian завзя́ття, насті́йність
- завзя́ття (zavzjáttja)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- насті́йність (nastíjnistʹ)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- насті́йливість (nastíjlyvistʹ)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
- сті́йкість (stíjkistʹ)persistent determination to adhere to a course of action; insistence
Cite this entry
APA
perseverance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perseverance
MLA
“perseverance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perseverance. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perseverance,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perseverance.
Source: perseverance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.