persevere means to persist steadfastly in pursuit of an undertaking, task, journey, or goal, even if hindered by distraction, difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement. It carries an Arena rating of 1516, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, persevere ranks #914 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #3,177 of 17,130 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #3,781 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words, #5,598 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
persevere is pronounced /ˌpɜːsəˈvɪə/.
Why “persevere” is a great word
To persist steadfastly in an undertaking or course of action despite difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement. From Middle English perseveren, from Old French perseverer, from Latin persevērāre ("to continue steadfastly, persist"), from per- ("through, thoroughly") + sevērus ("strict, earnest"). Unlike "persist," which can imply a neutral or even obstinate continuation, or "endure," which centers on the passive bearing of hardship, to persevere is to actively and purposefully press on. It is the steady chisel-tap on unyielding stone, the calloused hand gripping the plow through frozen soil, the quiet return to the empty page each morning—a testament not to the likelihood of triumph, but to the gravity of the effort itself.
Etymology
From Middle English perseveren, from Old French perseverer, from Latin persevērāre (“to continue steadfastly, persist, persevere”), from perseverus (“very strict or earnest”), from per (“through, by the means of”) + severus (“strict, earnest”). Doublet of perseverate.
verb
- To persist steadfastly in pursuit of an undertaking, task, journey, or goal, even if hindered by distraction, difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement.e.g.“I will persevere in
my course of loyalty, though the conflict be sore
between that and my blood.”
- To stay constant; to continue in a certain state; to remain.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.