Enduring
adjective /ɪnˈdjʊərɪŋ/ — Lasting through time — still present, still relevant, still alive.
Definition
Continuing or remaining despite difficulty, opposition, or the passage of time; characterized by staying power and deep-rooted permanence.
Beyond the definition
Enduring implies something deeper than just lasting — it carries the sense of having been tested and survived. An enduring love, an enduring work: both have passed through time and come out intact.
Origin & history
From Latin indurare — to make hard, to harden (in: intensifier + durus: hard). To endure is to become hard enough that time cannot wear you through.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Their enduring friendship was more remarkable for how different they'd each become.
The enduring quality of great architecture is its ability to serve new purposes no one originally imagined.
Some arguments have an enduring logic — they surface in every generation, because the underlying question never resolves.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Enduring” when the meaning fits your context: Continuing or remaining despite difficulty, opposition, or the passage of time; characterized by staying power and deep-rooted permanence.
Synonyms
lasting, persistent, permanent, durable, abiding, steadfast
Antonyms
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Repairing Broken Pottery
A ceramic artist carefully repairs a broken pottery bowl with gold seams, holding one fragment against the reassembled piece with a small brush nearby.
Enduring means remaining despite difficulty or passage of time. The gold-seamed bowl, now repaired and strengthened, illustrates this staying power, as the artist restores it to a state that is not just functional but beautiful, showing how something can remain whole and valued even after facing significant opposition and breakage.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Enduring" mean?
Enduring is adjective meaning: Lasting through time — still present, still relevant, still alive.. Continuing or remaining despite difficulty, opposition, or the passage of time; characterized by staying power and deep-rooted permanence.
Where does the word "Enduring" come from?
From Latin indurare — to make hard, to harden (in: intensifier + durus: hard). To endure is to become hard enough that time cannot wear you through.