perennial

American  

[puh-ren-ee-uhl] / pəˈrɛn i əl /

adjective

1. lasting for an indefinitely long time; enduring.

   As my grandmother aged, I marveled at her perennial beauty.

   Synonyms:

   continual, incessant, constant, perdurable

2. (of plants) having a life cycle lasting more than two years.

3. lasting or continuing throughout the entire year.

   The interpretive boardwalk follows a perennial stream through the marsh to the lake.

4. arising repeatedly or always existing; perpetual; recurrent.

   Tie dye is a perennial hit with children of all ages.

   The perennial rivalry between the two colleges ramps up during football season.

   Synonyms:

   immortal, eternal, undying, imperishable

5. Sometimes Perennial relating to or being an older person, especially one whose mindset, lifestyle, skills, or interests defy generational labels and stereotypes; ageless.

   Many companies are seeking to retain their perennial workers so as not to lose institutional history.

   This writer is a Perennial thinker, which is why he is successful and yet not really popular.

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noun

perennials plural

1. a plant with a life cycle lasting more than two years.

   Daffodils and tulips are perennials.

2. something that is continuing, recurring, or enduring.

   Classical literature remains a perennial in liberal arts classrooms.

3. Sometimes Perennial an older person, especially one whose mindset, lifestyle, skills, or interests defy generational labels and stereotypes.

   At 81, the mayor calls herself a Perennial with no plans to retire.

perennial British  

/ pəˈrɛnɪəl /

adjective

1. lasting throughout the year or through many years

2. everlasting; perpetual

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noun

1. a woody or herbaceous plant that can continue its growth for at least two years Compare annual biennial

perennial Scientific  

/ pə-rĕn′ē-əl /

1. Living for three or more years.

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1. A perennial plant. Herbaceous perennials survive winter and drought as underground roots, rhizomes, bulbs, corms, or tubers. Woody perennials, including vines, shrubs, and trees, usually stop growing during winter and drought. Asters, irises, tulips, and peonies are familiar garden perennials.

2. Compare annual biennial

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• perenniality
  noun
• perennially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• perennials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of perennial

First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin perenni(s) “lasting the whole year through” ( per- per- ( def. ) + -enn-, stem of annus “year” + -is, adjective suffix) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Perennial typically describes things that are permanent, constant, or repeated. If you fight with your parents every year over whether they really must invite your annoying cousins for Thanksgiving, you could call that a perennial conflict. Arguing with your roommate about who cleaned the bathroom last time might be a perennial argument. There is also a perennial plant, which lasts more than two years and usually reappears each spring, because it produces flowers and seeds from the same root structure. Perennial comes from the Latin perennis, from the prefix per-, "through," plus annus, or "year." Annus is also the source of our English word annual — an annual plant lives only one year or season.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

perennial perennials

Those are perennial threats named in reports by both Democratic and Republican administrations.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

The perennial ryegrass used in Europe is resistant to wear, but it also doesn’t have the traction players have become accustomed to in the NFL.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Few people experience perennial happiness and contentment, but if you feel weighed down by these events, you can look at the impact it has had on you psychologically and emotionally.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

The film is such a Christmas perennial it verges on the liturgical, and why not?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Yet Shenandoah, despite its perennial want of money, found the funds to post a warden at each AT access point to turn back all thru-hikers.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Where there had been a jungle of weeds and vines, perennials and annuals bloomed thanks to avid volunteer gardeners and contributions from locals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

These are short-lived perennials that will reseed, and they seem to thrive in dry, nutrient-poor, fast-draining soil where other flowers fade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2025

He has had a decent start to the season with Lancashire but has still been putting in the hours amid the perennials.

From BBC ● May 27, 2025

Adjacent to Expedia office buildings, pathways wind through beds filled with colorful perennials and drifts of ornamental grasses.

From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2024

The air had died in the cypresses in the courtyard, in the pale trappings of the bedrooms, in the dripping archways of the garden of perennials.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• chronic
• continual
• continuing
• eternal
• never-ending
• persistent
• recurrent
• seasonal