perpetual

[per-pech-oo-uhl]

adjective

1. continuing or enduring forever; everlasting.

   Synonyms: enduring, permanent
   Antonyms: temporary

2. lasting an indefinitely long time.

   perpetual snow.

3. continuing or continued without intermission or interruption; ceaseless.

   a perpetual stream of visitors all day.

   Synonyms: uninterrupted, unending, constant, incessant, continuous
   Antonyms: discontinuous

4. blooming almost continuously throughout the season or the year.

noun

1. a hybrid rose that is perpetual.

2. a perennial plant.

perpetual

/ pəˈpɛtjʊəl /

adjective

1. (usually prenominal) eternal; permanent

2. (usually prenominal) seemingly ceaseless because often repeated

   your perpetual complaints

3. horticulture blooming throughout the growing season or year

noun

1. (of a crop plant) continually producing edible parts: perpetual spinach

2. a plant that blooms throughout the growing season

Other Word Forms

• perpetually adverb
• perpetuality noun
• perpetualness noun
• nonperpetual adjective
• quasi-perpetual adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of perpetual¹

First recorded in 1300–50; late Middle English perpetuall, from Latin perpetuālis “permanent, universal, general,” equivalent to perpetu(us) “continuous, uninterrupted” ( per- “through, thoroughly” + pet-, base of petere “to seek, reach for” + -uus adjective suffix derived from a verb) + -ālis adjective suffix; replacing Middle English perpetuel, from Middle French, from Latin as above; per-, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of perpetual¹

C14: via Old French from Latin perpetuālis universal, from perpes continuous, from per- (thoroughly) + petere to go towards

Synonym Study

See eternal.

Example Sentences

Like most preferred, the Strategy issues are perpetual, meaning they don’t need to be paid back.

Read more on Barron's

Formerly known as MicroStrategy, the company uses perpetual preferred shares to buy bitcoin.

Read more on MarketWatch

This summer, Coinbase, the largest U.S. exchange, launched perpetual futures, a type of financial contract that never expires and lets traders bet on digital tokens’ rise using up to 10 times leverage.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Life would become just a perpetual cruise to fill our time with endless seductive distractions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Folkstone MP and immigration lawyer Tony Vaughan said making refugee status temporary would create a "situation of perpetual limbo and alienation".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• ceaseless 
• constant 
• continued 
• continuous 
• endless 
• enduring 
• eternal 
• incessant 
• infinite 
• interminable 
• never-ending 
• perennial 
• permanent 
• persistent 
• recurring 
• unceasing 
• unending