Dogged
What it means
Persistently determined despite difficulty, delay, or discouragement.
Reach for it when praising a person or effort that keeps returning to a hard goal
Her dogged research restored the stories missing from the town archive.
Words to choose between 7
| everyday | |
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| professional |
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| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when clear resolve is more important than the length of the struggle
Careful Determined can describe intention before any obstacle has actually been endured.
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everyday
stubborn
Fits when refusal to change is the central trait
Careful Stubborn is usually critical and should not replace dogged when the persistence is productive and evidence-led.
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professional
Fits when effort continues or recurs over time
Careful Persistent is neutral enough to describe a problem, so it carries less admiration by itself.
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professional
relentless
Fits when the effort never lets up
Careful Relentless can imply harmful pressure on others and leaves little room for humane pacing.
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formal
Fits when a firm decision survives pressure to retreat
Careful Resolute emphasizes conviction and may overstate the moral stakes of practical work.
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formal
Fits when someone holds firmly to a goal or line of inquiry
Careful Tenacious can praise grip alone and may become a criticism when the goal is no longer sound.
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literary
Fits when seemingly inexhaustible effort deserves elevated praise
Careful Indefatigable overstates stamina if success came through rest, support, and repeated returns.
Opposites 3
- wavering
- easily discouraged
- halfhearted
Common phrases 4
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dogged determination
Dogged determination carried the restoration through two funding setbacks.
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dogged pursuit
Her dogged pursuit of the missing records eventually reunited the family archive.
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dogged effort
A dogged effort by volunteers reopened the trail before spring.
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dogged researcher
The dogged researcher checked every date against the original register.
Word family 1
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Commander Keane, Australian accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated