perpetual
Americanadjective
-
continuing or enduring forever; everlasting.
- Antonyms:
- temporary
-
lasting an indefinitely long time.
perpetual snow.
-
continuing or continued without intermission or interruption; ceaseless.
a perpetual stream of visitors all day.
- Synonyms:
- uninterrupted , unending , constant , incessant , continuous
- Antonyms:
- discontinuous
-
blooming almost continuously throughout the season or the year.
noun
-
a hybrid rose that is perpetual.
-
a perennial plant.
adjective
-
(usually prenominal) eternal; permanent
-
(usually prenominal) seemingly ceaseless because often repeated
your 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
Related Words
See eternal.
Other Word Forms
- nonperpetual adjective
- perpetuality noun
- perpetually adverb
- perpetualness noun
- quasi-perpetual adjective
Etymology
Origin of perpetual
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Like most preferred, the Strategy issues are perpetual, meaning they don’t need to be paid back.
From Barron's
And they still have no TV deal, only a perpetual promise that it’s just around the corner.
From Seattle Times
In recent years, prominent conservatives have complained about the groups' frequent attacks from the right, and the perpetual purity tests that they worry may ultimately push the Texas GOP too far to the extremes.
From Salon
As Glass writes, "The perpetual conflict between the warrior and the pacifist raged within him."
From Salon
Despite their residents’ success at building independent lives, homes like Bonnie’s have been under a perpetual threat of closure for years.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
