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 Trump administration has shown a dogged determination to roll back civil rights, with the focus up to this point primarily on trans people. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025

This is a matter that is going to require dogged determination and persistence to bring to fruition. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025

Such stories take a lot of time, resources, and expertise, and the Tucker allegations do not come to light without the dogged work of the Baltimore Banner. —Richard Deitsch, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

That’s repetition as the dogged pursuit of an ideal. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see dog entry 1

First Known Use

1700, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dogged

• prorogued
• bogged
• clogged
• flogged
• fogged
• jogged
• logged
• catalogued
• waterlogged

Kids Definition

dogged

adjective

dog·​ged ˈdȯ-gəd 

: stubbornly determined : tenacious

in dogged pursuit of power

doggedly adverb

doggedness noun