Origin: Greek
suffix -ist
Insist has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
Verb
Verb
1
be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
"I must insist!"
2
beg persistently and urgently
"I importune you to help them"
3
postulate positively and assertively
"The letter asserts a free society"
4
To hold up a claim emphatically.
"She insisted that her theory was correct despite all the evidence to the contrary."
In plain English: To insist means to keep demanding something even when others say no.
"She insisted that we leave immediately because the traffic was heavy."
Example Sentences
"She insisted that we leave immediately because the traffic was heavy."
verb
"She insisted on paying for dinner even though her friend offered to treat."
verb
"He refused to leave the house and insisted that we stay inside."
verb
"I insist that everyone wear a seatbelt while driving in this car."
verb
Related Terms
Show all 22 terms ↓
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
Origin
The word "insist" comes from Middle French insister, which was borrowed from Latin īnsistere. Its original meaning of standing firm or remaining in a place eventually shifted to mean demanding something persistently.