persistence

Universal Words noun [U] 1 the fact of continuing to try to do sth in spite of difficulties, especially when other people are against you and think that you are being annoying or unreasonable: His persistence was finally rewarded when the insurance company agreed to pay for the damage. * It was her sheer persistence that wore them down in the end. 2 the state of continuing to exist for a long period of time: the persistence of unemployment in the 1970s and 1980s