permanent

[pur-muh-nuhnt]

See more synonyms for permanent on Thesaurus.com

adjective

existing perpetually; everlasting, especially without significant change.
intended to exist or function for a long, indefinite period without regard to unforeseeable conditions: a permanent employee; the permanent headquarters of the United Nations.
long-lasting or nonfading: permanent pleating; permanent ink.

noun

Also called permanent wave. a wave or curl that is set into the hair by the application of a special chemical preparation and that remains for a number of months.

Origin of permanent

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin permanent- (stem of permanēns), present participle of permanēre to remain. See per-, remain, -ent

Related formsper·ma·nent·ly, adverbper·ma·nent·ness, nounnon·per·ma·nent, adjectivenon·per·ma·nent·ly, adverbpseu·do·per·ma·nent, adjectivequa·si-per·ma·nent, adjectivequa·si-per·ma·nent·ly, adverbsub·per·ma·nent, adjectivesub·per·ma·nent·ly, adverbun·per·ma·nent, adjectiveun·per·ma·nent·ly, adverb

Synonyms for permanent

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1. stable, invariable, constant.

Antonyms for permanent

1. temporary; inconstant.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for permanent

durable, perpetual, long-lasting, enduring, stable, invariable, set, everlasting, perennial, abiding, changeless, continual, fixed, forever, immutable, imperishable, indestructible, persistent, steadfast, unchanging

Examples from the Web for permanent

Contemporary Examples of permanent

The offices were firebombed in 2011; no one was hurt but a permanent police car was subsequently stationed outside.
France Mourns—and Hunts
Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey
January 8, 2015
Plus, while sometimes IPs can be “permanent”, at other times IPs last just a few seconds.
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony
Marc Rogers
December 24, 2014
At least one parent would have to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
The Progressive Case Against Birthright Citizenship
Keli Goff
December 15, 2014
They seemed like a permanent part of the mindscape, the way mountains or rivers are part of the physical world.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
Such is the strange and permanent apocalypse of 21st-century L.A.
The Fiery Underground Oil Pit Eating L.A.
Geoff Manaugh
December 6, 2014

Historical Examples of permanent

We have not seen any permanent water for the last eighty miles.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
A surplus in the Treasury created by loans is not a permanent or safe reliance.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
An unlawful expedient can not become a permanent condition of government.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
But the present must not become the permanent condition of the Government.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
Who, again, could undertake the permanent care of his mother?
Viviette
William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for permanent

permanent

adjective

existing or intended to exist for an indefinite perioda permanent structure
not expected to change for an indefinite time; not temporarya permanent condition

Derived Formspermanently, adverb

Word Origin for permanent

C15: from Latin permanens continuing, from permanēre to stay to the end, from per- through + manēre to remain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for permanent

adj.

early 15c., from Middle French permanent (14c.) or directly from Latin permanentem (nominative permanens) "remaining," present participle of permanere "endure, hold out, continue, stay to the end," from per- "through" (see per) + manere "stay" (see mansion). As a noun meaning "permanent wave," by 1909. Of clothing, permanent press attested from 1964.