persistent

adjective

USpur-SIS-tuhnt/pɚˈsɪstənt/UKpuh-SIS-tuhnt/pəˈsɪstənt/

7 meanings of persistent

1
adjective
Refusing to stop or give up, even when it is hard.
Like a dog that keeps begging until you share your food.
Her persistent questions finally got a real answer from the teacher.
He was so persistent that the seller agreed to lower the price.
Similartenacious, determined, dogged, relentless, persevering
Oppositeirresolute, wavering
Note
2
adjective
Happening again and again in a way that is hard to ignore.
Like a song stuck in your head that plays over and over.
The persistent knocking at the door made it hard to sleep.
A persistent beeping came from the smoke alarm all night.
Similarinsistent, incessant, repeated, constant, relentless
Oppositeoccasional, intermittent, sporadic
3
adjective
Going on and on for a long time without stopping.
Like rain that just won't stop for days.
The region suffered from persistent drought for several years.
She had a persistent cough that lasted all winter.
Similarchronic, ongoing, lasting, prolonged
Oppositetemporary, transient, brief
Note
4
adjective
Describes computer data that is still there after the program that made it has closed.
Like writing in a notebook instead of on a board you wipe clean.
The app saves your settings as persistent data, so they stay after you close it.
Game progress is kept in persistent storage on the device.
Similarpermanent, durable, nonvolatile
Oppositevolatile, transient, temporary, ephemeral
Note
5
adjective
Describes a plant part that stays on the plant instead of dropping off when grown.
Like leaves that hold on tight and stay on the tree.
The persistent leaves stayed on the oak through winter.
Some flowers have persistent petals that do not drop after blooming.
Oppositedeciduous, caducous
Note
6
adjective
Describes a point in a random process that is certain to be reached again.
Like a boomerang that always comes back to your hand.
In this simple model, the starting point is persistent, so the walker keeps coming back to it.
A persistent state is one the system will always reach again.
Similarrecurrent
Oppositetransient
Note
7
adjective
Describes a fractal process that tends to keep moving the same way it has been moving.
Like a ball rolling downhill that keeps going in the same direction.
This persistent process tends to keep rising once it has started rising.
A persistent signal stays on its trend instead of flipping back and forth.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Latin persistō, meaning "to continue steadfastly." It is made from persist plus -ent.