English Reference
noun

persistence

n.
US /pɝˈsɪstəns/ UK /pəsˈɪstəns/ per·sis·tence UK spelling persistences

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    the quality of continuing to try to do something even when it is difficult or people are against you.

    the quality of continuing steadily in an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

    Simple

    Her persistence finally paid off when the company offered her the job after three interviews.

    In context

    The investigator's persistence in following every lead, no matter how minor, eventually resulted in a breakthrough that solved the decade-old cold case.

    apathyirresolution
  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    the fact of something continuing to exist or happen for a long time.

    the continued existence or occurrence of something, especially beyond the expected duration.

    Simple

    The persistence of the heavy rain caused flooding in the lower parts of the city.

    In context

    Economists are concerned about the persistence of high inflation despite the central bank's aggressive interest rate hikes over the last quarter.

    transiencecessation
  3. 03 C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    the way data stays in a computer system even after the program is turned off.

    the property of data that survives the termination of the process that created it.

    Simple

    Without data persistence, all your progress in the game would be lost when you close the app.

    In context

    The architecture ensures data persistence by automatically mirroring all transactions to a secondary database located in a different geographic region.

    Usage

    Uncountable in this technical context.

  4. 04 C2 Proficiency Technical Math

    the number of times you can do a math operation to a number before it stops changing.

    the number of times an operation can be iteratively applied to an integer before it reaches a fixed point.

    Simple

    The additive persistence of 39 is 2 because 3 plus 9 is 12, and 1 plus 2 is 3.

    In context

    The student explored the multiplicative persistence of various large integers as part of her senior thesis on recreational number theory.

Learning can require persistence and struggle, and no one benefits from a classroom without challenge.

The Conversation· 31 Jul 2026

This book shows the importance of persistence when refining a skill and remaining true to oneself.

The Conversation· 14 Jul 2026

From Middle French persistance.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated