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Perseverance

n. resilient, hopeful warm

What it means

Continued effort toward a worthwhile aim despite difficulty, delay, or discouragement.

Reach for it when praising endurance that remains directed and adaptable through setbacks

Her perseverance carried the water survey through three failed sensors and a flooded road.

Words to choose between 9

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom. Tap a word to see when it fits.
playful
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

  • playful

    grit

    Fits when informal praise joins stamina with courage

    Careful The fashionable term can glorify avoidable hardship or ignore needed support.

  • everyday

    persistence

    Fits when repeated effort is the clearest feature

    Careful Persistence can continue toward an unwise goal or ignore another person's refusal.

  • everyday

    staying power

    Fits when continued capacity deserves accessible praise

    Careful It can describe popularity or physical durability rather than chosen effort.

  • warm

    determination

    Fits when a firm decision supplies the strength to continue

    Careful Determination is an attitude and may not yet have survived a setback.

  • professional

    resilience

    Fits when recovery after difficulty matters most

    Careful Resilience can mean adapting or resting rather than continuing the same pursuit.

  • professional

    tenacity

    Fits when a firm grip on the goal survives pressure

    Careful Tenacity can sound combative and says little about adjusting the method.

  • formal

    endurance

    Fits when lasting through prolonged strain is central

    Careful Endurance may be passive and need not involve purposeful effort.

  • formal

    resolve

    Fits when commitment remains unshaken

    Careful Resolve describes firmness more than the long work already done.

  • literary

    steadfastness

    Fits when loyal constancy through pressure is the emphasis

    Careful Steadfastness may mean refusing change when adaptation would be wiser.

Opposites 4

  • abandonment
  • capitulation
  • inconstancy
  • wavering

Common phrases 4

  • show perseverance

    The trainees had to show perseverance without hiding injuries or unsafe conditions.

  • remarkable perseverance

    Her remarkable perseverance turned years of scattered records into a public archive.

  • perseverance through

    Their perseverance through repeated delays kept the clinic project alive.

  • perseverance pays off

    Their perseverance pays off whenever another household receives clean water.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated