perseverance

noun

per·​se·​ver·​ance ˌpər-sə-ˈvir-ən(t)s 

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

His perseverance was rewarded: after many rejections, he finally found a job.

The road to the American dream was supposed to be built on perseverance and hard work.

—Ms. Guzman

Aaliyah and her artistry live on as a symbol of perseverance.

—Julian Kimble

Examples of perseverance in a Sentence

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

… a cavalcade of black and brown and female faces spinning stories of hardship and triumph through perseverance. —Michelle Cottle, New Republic, 14 Aug. 2000

… 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

His perseverance was rewarded: after many rejections, he finally found a job.

Perseverance is required to perfect just about any skill.

Recent Examples on the Web

Gonzales said the life skills needed for boxing — like hard work, perseverance and focus — are more important to teach the kids than the boxing itself. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026

For many years, the American dream has been defined by believing that hard work, smart choices, and perseverance can make things happen. — Peter Tillinghast, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Jacobs’s perseverance and creative eye led him to win student of the year at Parsons School of Design in 1984 and caught the attention of fashion-industry impresario Robert Duffy. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 18 Aug. 2026

Dobnak hopes to continue inspiring others with his story of perseverance as his career continues. — Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English perseveraunce, borrowed from Anglo-French parseverance, parsevrance, borrowed from Latin persevērantia, noun derivative of persevērant-, persevērans "persisting in a course of action, steadfast," from present participle of persevērāre "to persist in a course of action or an attitude in spite of opposition, keep on" — more at persevere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for perseverance

• disappearance
• incoherence
• interference
• reappearance
• adherence
• appearance
• coherence
• preclearance
• clearance
• noninterference

Kids Definition

perseverance

noun

per·​se·​ver·​ance ˌpər-sə-ˈvir-ən(t)s 

: the action, state, or an instance of persevering