adverbial N2 uncommon politewritten

依然(として) — still / as ever / as before

依然(として) ・いぜんとして

Meaning

still / as before / as ever — a state remains unchanged despite the passage of time or efforts made

原因げんいんは依然いぜんとして不明ふめいのままだ。

The cause remains unknown as ever.

Attaches to	Form	Example
Adverb	依然いぜんとして + clause	依然いぜんとして厳きびしい

When: Formal/written — news and reports; in speech 相変あいかわらず or まだ is used instead.

依然いぜん — として is often dropped, especially before だ/である: 依然いぜん不明ふめいだ.

景気けいきは依然いぜんとして厳きびしい。

The economy is still tough, just as before.

交渉こうしょうは依然いぜんとして難航なんこうしている。

The negotiations are still bogged down.

Stresses that nothing has changed — typically a problem or difficult situation that persists despite expectation it might improve.

Jengo shows 依然(として) the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.

Sources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.