persevering

[pur-suh-veer-ing]

adjective

1. displaying perseverance; resolutely persistent; steadfast.

   a persevering student.

Other Word Forms

• perseveringly adverb
• nonpersevering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of persevering¹

First recorded in 1640–50; persevere + -ing ²

Example Sentences

To Morales, persevering through that long, painful history is what makes the agreement so significant: The tribe is “basically on the map now.”

From Los Angeles Times

A 90,000-strong crowd had been forced to contend with heavy rain at Wembley Stadium earlier in the night, but it was worth persevering to watch the spectacle unfold.

From BBC

“This is the peace of the risen Christ,” the man born Robert Francis Prevost continued, “an unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering.”

From Los Angeles Times

But the show gently yet cleverly pushed back against any detractors, opening with “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande singing a medley of three songs from the “Wizard of Oz” musical universe about persevering.

From Salon

But she is persevering, inspired by club members who have excelled over the years and joined state teams or local leagues.

From BBC

When To Use

What does persevering mean?

Persevering is used to describe people who persevere—continue to do or try to achieve something despite difficulty or discouragement. A close synonym is persistent.Persevering can also be used to describe the efforts of such people.The word is typically used in a positive way to describe people who don’t give up no matter what. A persevering person keeps trying despite major challenges and setbacks.Persevering is also the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb persevere.People who are persevering are said to show perseverance, which is the quality of those who persevere, as in You showed great perseverance by recovering from your injury to compete at an even higher level.Example: Despite the many challenges they faced, our persevering students managed to finish what they started.