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perseveration

/pərˌsɛvəˈreɪʃən/
IPA guide

Perseveration is the act of continuing to repeat something to an extreme degree. A person's perseveration might mean they keep asking you the same question over and over, despite the fact that you've answered them.

This word can describe a tendency to be repetitious or anxiously return to the same topic of conversation. It's also used in a more clinical way, for someone who has a disorder that causes them to be unable to switch off a specific thought or idea. Trauma to the brain can result in perseveration. The word shares a Latin root with persevere, which also means "continue," but has a more positive connotation than perseveration.

Definitions of perseveration
  1. noun
    the act of persisting or persevering; continuing or repeating behavior
    “his perseveration continued to the point where it was no longer appropriate”
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    type of:
    continuance, continuation
    the act of continuing an activity without interruption
  2. noun
    (psychology) the tendency for a memory or idea to persist or recur without any apparent stimulus for it
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    type of:
    disposition, inclination, tendency
    an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others
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