Insist vs. Persist

Insist

To insist is to demand something forcefully or urge someone to do something. It can be used in positive as well as negative sense. A few examples –

●    Our CEO insisted that the company was doing well in-spite of the stocks being down.

●    I insist you take the medicine on time to prevent further problems.

●    I dint want to go but he insisted me to come along.

●    Rather than insisting me to go to theatre with you, why don’t you watch a movie with me at home?

●    She insisted me to take up more work.

The word insist has its roots from the Latin word insistere (in+sistere) which means upon+stand. Therefore, it means to have a strong stand or be assertive in something.

Persist

To persist is to continue something in-spite of obstacles. Example –

●    His persistence and hard work earned him the success he has today.

●    I will persist my studies even if it means doing a part-time job to fund it.

●    Persisted drinking can be harmful for your health.

●    My hand allergy is a persisting problem which has no solution.

●    The unpleasant smell still persists throughout the area.

Persist has originated from the Latin persistere (per+sistere), which means through + to stand or stand through (something) in a steadfast or continuous manner.

The difference

The words look similar and come from similar roots, hence there can be confusions around it. Often, insistence can be a reason for persistence. For example,

●    If you insist on working hard, you can persist getting good marks in exam,

●    If you insist on maintaining good quality, you can persistently get good customers.

●    I insisted on not believing their theories, but to persist our research with the facts collected.

Insistence vs persistence – Just like the verb forms, the nouns are different.

●    Her insistence on following up the matter with persistence was the reason behind our victory.