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perseverate

verb/pərˈsɛvəreɪt/

definition

to repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance despite the absence of a stimulus

example

During therapy, he tended to perseverate on past mistakes, making it hard for him to focus on his present goals.

synonyms
repeatreiteratepersist
word origin — from Latin 'perseverare', meaning 'to persist, to continue steadily'

Word Ultra — Set 240

Set 240 of Word Ultra covers 5 words: perseverate, immiserate, trammel, cozen, extenuate. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

  1. perseverate · verb/pərˈsɛvəreɪt/

    to repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance despite the absence of a stimulus

    During therapy, he tended to perseverate on past mistakes, making it hard for him to focus on his present goals.

    Synonyms: repeat, reiterate, persist

    Origin: from Latin 'perseverare', meaning 'to persist, to continue steadily'

  2. immiserate · verb/ɪˈmɪz.ɚ.eɪt/

    to make someone poor or to bring hardship to them

    The sudden economic crisis has the potential to immiserate millions of families who were already living paycheck to paycheck.

    Synonyms: poorer, impoverish, reduce

    Origin: From the Latin 'immiserare', from 'in-' (to make) + 'miser' (wretched, miserable)

  3. trammel · verb/ˈtræm.əl/

    to restrict or impede the movement or progress of something

    The new regulations will trammel innovation in the tech industry, making it difficult for startups to thrive.

    Synonyms: hinder, impede, restrict

    Origin: Middle English, from Old French 'tramel' (to catch in a net), with roots in Latin 'trama' (a fringe or web).

  4. cozen · verb/ˈkʌzən/

    to cheat or deceive someone for personal gain

    He tried to cozen his friends out of their savings by promising them high returns on a phony investment.

    Synonyms: defraud, swindle, deceive

    Origin: The word 'cozen' originates from the late Middle English 'cozen', which comes from the Old French 'cozen', meaning 'to deceive', and possibly from Latin 'cousin', which implied a sense of familial deception.

  5. extenuate · verb/ɪkˈstɛnjuˌeɪt/

    to lessen the seriousness or severity of something

    The judge decided to extenuate the defendant's sentence due to his difficult childhood circumstances.

    Synonyms: diminish, mitigate, lessen

    Origin: from Latin 'extenuare', meaning 'to make thin, to lessen'.