persistent — English Dictionary

Adjective

1. Obstinately refusing to give up or let go.

   Examples

   She has had a persistent cough for weeks.

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   The most persistent tormentor was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s corresponding fixture in Iceland. His ability to run at defences is instantly striking, but it is his clever use of possession that has persuaded some shrewd judges that he is an even better prospect than Theo Walcott.

2. Insistently repetitive.

   Examples

   There was a persistent knocking on the door.

3. Indefinitely continuous.

   Examples

   There have been persistent rumours for years.

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   Although many individuals seek meaningful social connection, they face persistent barriers to sustaining relationships, including communication difficulties, social rejection, loneliness, and limited social opportunities (Elmose, 2019; Mendelson et al., 2016; Sosnowy et al., 2019). The gap between social motivation and real-life opportunities for social interaction may contribute to persistent social isolation in this population.

4. Lasting past maturity without falling off.

   Examples

   Pine cones have persistent scales.

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   The Jubulaceae have a leaf whose lobule, usually transformed into a water-sac, is normally very narrowly attached to the stem and to the dorsal lobe; indeed some Frullania taxa reproduce vegetatively by dropping the dorsal lobes, but not the lobules, and Neohattoria has caducous lobules but persistent lobes.

5. Of data or a data structure: not transient or temporary, but remaining in existence after the termination of the program that creates it.

   Examples

   Once written to a disk file, the data becomes persistent: it will still be there tomorrow when we run the next program.

6. Describing a fractal process that has a positive Brown function

7. non-transient.

   Usage

   • of a state

Adjective

1. never-ceasing

   Synonyms

   relentlessunrelenting

   Examples

   the relentless beat of the drums

2. continually recurring to the mind

   Synonyms

   haunting

   Examples

   haunting memories

3. retained; not shed

   Synonyms

   lasting

   Antonyms

   caducous

   Examples

   persistent leaves remain attached past maturity

   the persistent gills of fishes

4. stubbornly unyielding

   Synonyms

   doggeddourpertinacioustenaciousunyielding

   Examples

   dogged persistence

   dour determination

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   the most vocal and pertinacious of all the critics

   men tenacious of opinion