perseverance

per·se·ver·ance

noun \ˌpər-sə-ˈvir-ən(t)s\

Definition of PERSEVERANCE

: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition : the action or condition or an instance of persevering : steadfastness

Examples of PERSEVERANCE

1. His perseverance was rewarded: after many rejections, he finally found a job.
2. Perseverance is required to perfect just about any skill.
3. The great international collectors and curators, once celebrated for their perceptiveness and perseverance, are now regularly deplored as traffickers in, or receivers of, stolen goods. —Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Review of Books, 9 Feb. 2006
4. … a cavalcade of black and brown and female faces spinning stories of hardship and triumph through perseverance. —Michelle Cottle, New Republic, 14 Aug. 2000
5. … he had no-nonsense coaches with hearts of gold who taught him discipline; he learned perseverance from a father who sent him back out to fight after he took a licking … —Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 14 Dec. 1998

Origin of PERSEVERANCE

(see persevere)

First Known Use: 14th century