dogged

adjective

dog·​ged ˈdȯ-gəd 

: marked by stubborn determination

a dogged competitor

dogged devotion

doggedly adverb

doggedness noun

Synonyms

• insistent
• patient
• persevering
• persistent
• pertinacious
• tenacious

Choose the Right Synonym for dogged

obstinate, dogged, stubborn, pertinacious, mulish mean fixed and unyielding in course or purpose.

obstinate implies usually an unreasonable persistence.

an obstinate proponent of conspiracy theories

dogged suggests an admirable often tenacious and unwavering persistence.

pursued the story with dogged perseverance

stubborn implies sturdiness in resisting change which may or may not be admirable.

a person too stubborn to admit error

pertinacious suggests an annoying or irksome persistence.

a pertinacious salesclerk refusing to take no for an answer

mulish implies a thoroughly unreasonable obstinacy.

a mulish determination to have his own way

Examples of dogged in a Sentence

Her dogged efforts eventually paid off.

a dogged pursuit of power

Recent Examples on the Web

The episode details the long pursuit of an elusive killer by dogged Palm Beach County, Fla., investigators, which resulted in the arrest in 2017 of a suspect with a surprising connection to the victim. —Kc Baker, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024

At the end of the day, Brad encourages entrepreneurs to pursue the right investor with dogged determination. —Allbusiness, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Ali Abbasi’s film The Apprentice stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, the notoriously dogged prosecutor who served as the real estate mogul/future president’s mentor. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2024

If Tottori represents a new style of Japanese female executive, one who arrived in the C-suite through an unconventional path, Makiko Ono might be the premier example of a woman rising through dogged determination. —Beth Greenfield, Fortune Asia, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see dog entry 1

First Known Use

1700, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dogged

adjective

dog·​ged ˈdȯ-gəd 

: stubbornly determined : tenacious

in dogged pursuit of power

doggedly adverb

doggedness noun