insist
verb
Simple meaning
To say firmly that something must happen or is true.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihnsistSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪnˈsɪst
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
sometimes with (that + subjunctive
Or intransitive, with on or upon) To demand continually that something happen or be done; to reiterate a demand despite requests to abandon it.
with (that + indicative
Or intransitive, with on or upon) To hold up a claim emphatically.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (sometimes with (that + subjunctive) or intransitive, with on or upon) To demand continually that something happen or be done; to reiterate a demand despite requests to abandon it.
Used this way, insist is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- importune , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use insist
- “She will insist on paying her share of the dinner bill tonight.”verb
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: (sometimes with (that + subjunctive) or intransitive
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.