The definition of persistent is someone or something that is stubborn or keeps on going.
An example of persistent is rain that hasn't let up for weeks on end.
- refusing to relent; continuing, esp. in the face of opposition, interference, etc.; stubborn; persevering
- continuing to exist or endure; lasting without change
- constantly repeated; continued
- Bot. remaining attached permanently or for a longer than normal time, as some leaves, perianths, etc.
- remaining essentially unchanged over a long period of geologic time, as a species
- remaining for life: said of such parts retained in the adult that normally disappear or wither at an early stage
Origin of persistentClassical Latin persistens, present participle of persistere: see persist
- Refusing to give up or let go; persevering obstinately.
- Insistently repetitive or continuous: a persistent honking of car horns.
- Existing or remaining in the same state for an indefinitely long time; enduring: persistent rumors; a persistent infection.
- Botany Lasting past maturity without falling off, as the calyx on an eggplant or the scales of a pine cone.
- Zoology Retained permanently, rather than disappearing in an early stage of development: the persistent gills of fishes.
(comparative more persistent, superlative most persistent)
- Obstinately refusing to give up or let go.
- She has had a persistent cough for weeks.
- Insistently repetitive.
- There was a persistent knocking on the door.
- Indefinitely continuous.
- There have been persistent rumours for years.
- (botany) Lasting past maturity without falling off.
- Pine cones have persistent scales.
- (computing) About some data or data structures: existing after the execution of the program. Remaining in existence past the lifetime of the program that creates it.
- Once written to a disk file the data becomes persistent and it will still be there tomorrow when we run the next program.
- This way transient value becomes persistent.
- (mathematics) Describing a fractal process that has a positive Brown function
- (mathematics, stochastic processes, of a state) non-transient.