pertinacious
/ˌpɜːtɪˈneɪʃəs/
pertinacious means holding tenaciously to an opinion or purpose. It carries an Arena rating of 1620, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, pertinacious ranks #649 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,446 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #3,701 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #3,902 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
pertinacious is pronounced /ˌpɜːtɪˈneɪʃəs/.
Why “pertinacious” is a great word
Holding tenaciously and stubbornly to an opinion, purpose, or course of action. From Latin pertināx, pertināc- ("very tenacious"), from per- ("thoroughly") + tenax ("holding fast, tenacious"). Unlike steadfast, which implies a principled and virtuous constancy, or persistent, which neutrally describes continued effort, pertinacious carries the iron taste of obstinacy, a refusal to yield that borders on the unreasonable. It is the gnarled root clutching the cliff face long after the tree has died, the fixed glare of a debater who has ceased to listen, the relentless drip of water that will, through sheer doggedness, wear a hole in stone—the particular tragedy of will mistaken for wisdom.
Etymology
From pertinace + -ious, from Old French pertinace, from Latin pertinax, from per- (“very”) + tenax (“tenacious”).
adj
- Holding tenaciously to an opinion or purpose.
- Stubbornly resolute or tenacious.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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