perpetual

[ per-pech-oo-uhl ]

/ pərˈpɛtʃ u əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perpetual ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

continuing or enduring forever; everlasting.

lasting an indefinitely long time: perpetual snow.

continuing or continued without intermission or interruption; ceaseless: a perpetual stream of visitors all day.

blooming almost continuously throughout the season or the year.

noun

a hybrid rose that is perpetual.

a perennial plant.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

perpent, perpetrable, perpetrate, perpetration, perpetrator, perpetual, perpetual adoration, perpetual calendar, perpetual check, perpetual debenture, perpetual inventory

Origin of perpetual

1300–50; late Middle English perpetuall < Latin perpetuālis permanent, equivalent to perpetu(us) uninterrupted (per- per- + pet-, base of petere to seek, reach for + -uus deverbal adj. suffix) + -ālis -al¹; replacing Middle English perpetuel < Middle French < Latin as above

SYNONYMS FOR perpetual

1 permanent, enduring. See eternal.

3 continuous, incessant, constant, unending, uninterrupted.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perpetual ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR perpetual

1 temporary.

3 discontinuous.

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Related forms

per·pet·u·al·i·ty, per·pet·u·al·ness, nounper·pet·u·al·ly, adverbnon·per·pet·u·al, adjectivenon·per·pet·u·al·ly, adverb

qua·si-per·pet·u·al, adjectivequa·si-per·pet·u·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for perpetual

But millions of rules result in perpetual error, and, as a terminal side effect, make leadership and accomplishment illegal.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Big discounts and cheap credit keep them coming back for more; and keep millions in perpetual debt.
Christmas Is the New Subprime|Doug McIntyre|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hollande is ‘the king of doublespeak, ambiguity, and perpetual lies’
Hell Hath No Fury Like Valerie Trierweiler, the French President’s Ex|Lizzie Crocker|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Wall Street, Bank of America plays a perpetual second fiddle to JPMorgan Chase Co., the only U.S. bank that holds more assets.
Megabanks Have The Federal Prison System Locked Up|Center for Public Integrity|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Some people upload content to Facebook for the perpetual online access it provides.
Porn Stars Want to Know: Why Did Facebook Delete Me?|Aurora Snow|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But we who do the old things are fed by nature with a perpetual infancy.
The Napoleon of Notting Hill|Gilbert K. Chesterton
I was in a state of perpetual aggravation; and I often wonder that I wasn't soured for life at that time.
Cashel Byron's Profession|George Bernard Shaw
Some perpetual indignation seemed smouldering in the knitted brow and protruding upper lip.
Hypatia|Charles Kingsley
The perpetual hum of voices sounded like the noise made by a thousand swarming bees.
Across China on Foot|Edwin Dingle
It was near the Clerk's office, between which and the bar there was a perpetual passage of the members.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. II (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton

British Dictionary definitions for perpetual

perpetual

/ (pəˈpɛtjʊəl) /

adjective

(usually prenominal) eternal; permanent

(usually prenominal) seemingly ceaseless because often repeatedyour perpetual complaints

horticulture blooming throughout the growing season or year

noun

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

a plant that blooms throughout the growing season

Derived Formsperpetually, adverb

Word Origin for perpetual

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

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 perpetual

perpetual

adj.

mid-14c., from Old French perpetuel "without end" (12c.) and directly from Latin perpetualis "universal," in Medieval Latin "permanent," from perpetuus "continuous, universal," from perpetis, genitive of Old Latin perpes "lasting," probably from per- "through" + root of petere "to seek, go to, aim at" (see petition (n.)). Related: Perpetually. Perpetual motion is attested from 1590s.