perpetual

[ per-pech-oo-uhl ]

See synonyms for: perpetual perpetuals perpetually 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.

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; see per-, -al¹

synonym study For perpetual

1. See eternal.

Other words for perpetual

1	permanent, enduring
3	continuous, incessant, constant, unending, uninterrupted

See synonyms for perpetual on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for perpetual

1	temporary
3	discontinuous

See antonyms for perpetual on Thesaurus.com

Other words from perpetual

per·pet·u·al·i·ty, per·pet·u·al·ness, noun
per·pet·u·al·ly, adverb
non·per·pet·u·al, adjective
qua·si-per·pet·u·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use perpetual in a sentence

With Google’s perpetual goal focused on providing the most relevant information for a search query, aligning your content with your audience’s search intent allows your blog to rank high for relevant search results.
Seven most popular types of blog posts guaranteed to boost traffic | Karl Tablante | November 30, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
Now, however, might be the actual start of those perpetual restarts, with a chance to seize back whatever was lost on the afternoon Smith went down in 2018.
Methodical and efficient, Alex Smith wins first start since before his injury | Les Carpenter | November 23, 2020 | Washington Post
They benched perpetual placeholder Ryan Fitzpatrick in favor of their first-round rookie quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.
Alex Smith got his second chance. Now it’s time to give Dwayne Haskins his. | Kevin Blackistone | November 9, 2020 | Washington Post
A perpetual calendar is a complex mechanism that will show the right date every day from now until March 1, 2100, without needing adjustment.
A Q&A with the provocative mind behind watchmaker H. Moser | Daniel Bentley | September 21, 2020 | Fortune
We reduced the time it took to assemble a perpetual calendar from 90 hours—that’s two weeks—to 30 hours.
A Q&A with the provocative mind behind watchmaker H. Moser | Daniel Bentley | September 21, 2020 | Fortune

The perpetuality of towns was recognized by statutes of 1391, which compared town-held property to church-held property.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed. | S. A. Reilly

British Dictionary definitions for perpetual

perpetual

/ (pəˈpɛtjʊəl) /

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

Origin of perpetual

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

Derived forms of perpetual

perpetually, adverb

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

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