Basic Details
Word: Persistent
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Carrying on firmly in spite of problems, or lasting for a long time without stopping.
Synonyms: constant, determined, unrelenting
Antonyms: occasional, brief
How to Spell Persistent
Syllables: per - sis - tent
Tricky part: The last syllable is tent with an e. Because it sounds like tunt, many students write persistant.
Watch out for: persistant, persistint, pursistent
Memory tip: The noun persistence ends in ence, so its adjective ends in ent. The pair keeps the same e, never an a.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The reporter was so persistent that the minister finally agreed to an interview.
Example 2: A persistent knocking at midnight woke the whole family.
Example 3: Ritu stayed persistent and rang the helpline until someone answered.
Fun Fact
Scientists use the term persistent pollutants for harmful chemicals that take many years to break down in soil and water; DDT, an old insecticide, is one example.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word persistent as it is used in the sentence:
A persistent cough kept the little boy awake through most of the night.
a) constant
b) nagging
c) occasional
d) lingering
Show answer
c) occasional. An occasional cough comes only now and then; the other three all describe a cough that will not go away.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Despite the persistant drizzle, hundreds of volunteers gathered on Juhu beach early on Sunday morning to clear away plastic bottles and old fishing nets.
a) gathered
b) plastic
c) volunteers
d) persistant
Show answer
d) persistant. Its noun is persistence with ence, so the adjective takes ent.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Only a ttnesisrep student would solve all fifty sums in one sitting.
a) persistence
b) pertinent
c) persistent
d) insistent
Show answer
c) persistent. The jumble holds two t's and no c, which rules out persistence.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A persistent pain is one that ____.
a) goes on for a long time
b) comes and goes in a second
c) is felt only in the morning
d) stops after you sneeze
Show answer
a) goes on for a long time
2. Choose the sentence in which persistent is used correctly.
a) The persistent chair stood in a corner.
b) The persistent glass broke on the floor.
c) The persistent child kept asking for a story.
d) The persistent milk was poured into a cup.
Show answer
c) The persistent child kept asking for a story.
