endurance
en-DYOOR-unss
/ɪnˈdjʊərəns/
The ability to withstand hardship or adversity; especially the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort.
Focuses on the act of lasting or surviving through a long period of difficulty.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'indurare,' meaning to make hard or tough. It shares a root with 'durable' and 'duration,' all relating to the idea of something being hard enough to last.
Word relationships
- fortitude: Fortitude is mental or emotional strength; endurance is usually physical.
- fragility: Fragility is the quality of being easily broken or exhausted.
Commonly confused with
- stamina: Endurance is the result of having stamina; it is the act of continuing.
Word family
- endure (verb): To suffer something painful or difficult patiently.
- enduring (adjective): Lasting over a long period of time.
Collocations
- test of endurance
- physical endurance
- endurance training
Example sentences
- "Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory." Motivational (William Barclay)
- "Ultra-marathons are the ultimate test of human endurance, pushing the body to its absolute limits." Athletics
Memory hook
If something is 'durable,' it has 'endurance.' Endurance = Endure the distance.
When not to use
Don't use for short-term tasks; it implies a long duration.
Fun facts
- The 'Endurance' was the name of the ship used by Ernest Shackleton in his famous, ill-fated Antarctic expedition.
Explore more words
endure, perseverance, fortitude, hardship, stoic, long-suffering
Also appears in
- Travel & Culture → Adventure Sports & Recreation
- Health Sciences → Sedentary Lifestyles & Exercise
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Water & Aquatic Sports
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Winter & Ice Sports
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Racket & Court Sports
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Motor & Racing Sports
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