endure means to continue or carry on, despite obstacles or hardships; to persist. It carries an Arena rating of 1577, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, endure ranks #1,053 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,838 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #4,531 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #6,989 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
endure is pronounced /ɪnˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)/.
Why “endure” is a great word
To withstand or persist through pain, hardship, or adversity; to last or continue in existence. From Middle English enduren, from Anglo-French endurer, from Latin indūrāre ('to harden, make hard'), from in- ('in, into') + dūrus ('hard'). Unlike "tolerate," which implies a passive allowance, or "persist," which emphasizes obstinate continuance, to endure is to be annealed by time itself. It is the slow, unceasing pressure of water carving a canyon in stone, the oak that carries the memory of the ice storm in its grain, and the low, steady flame that outlasts the gale. To endure is to be changed by what does not destroy you—to become, as the root insists, harder within.
Etymology
From Middle English enduren, from Old French endurer, from Latin indūrō (“to make hard”). Displaced Old English drēogan, which survives dialectally as dree. Doublet of dure.
verb
- To continue or carry on, despite obstacles or hardships; to persist.e.g.“The singer's popularity endured for decades.”
- To tolerate or put up with something unpleasant.
- To last.e.g.“Our love will endure forever.”
- To remain firm, as under trial or suffering; to suffer patiently or without yielding; to bear up under adversity; to hold out.
- To suffer patiently.e.g.“He endured years of pain.”
- To indurate.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- abide 74% match — To endure without yielding; to withstand. vs endure →
- endurer 73% match — One who, or that which, endures or lasts. vs endure →
- persevere 71% match — To persist steadfastly in pursuit of an undertaking, task, journey, or goal, even if hindered by distraction, difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement. vs endure →
- persist 69% match — To go on stubbornly or resolutely. vs endure →
- withstand 69% match — To resist or endure (something) successfully. vs endure →
- enduring 69% match — Long-lasting without significant alteration; continuing through time in the same relative state. vs endure →
- perseverant 68% match — Enduring; persistent, resistant. vs endure →
- dree 68% match — To bear or endure (something); to put up with, to suffer, to undergo. vs endure →