perpetually

[per-pech-oo-uh-lee]

adverb

1. forever or for an indefinitely long time.

   It is best to think of any software licensed in this way as perpetually licensed.

   We seem to be locked perpetually in the past.

2. without intermission or interruption; continually.

   The library received five more laptops to relieve the pressure on their perpetually busy media loan desk.

3. with continued recurrence; regularly or repeatedly: I'm the girl who loses pens constantly, forgets about quizzes in math, and is perpetually late.

   The city’s public schools, particularly in working-class neighborhoods, are perpetually understaffed.

   I'm the girl who loses pens constantly, forgets about quizzes in math, and is perpetually late.

Other Word Forms

• nonperpetually adverb
• quasi-perpetually adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of perpetually¹

perpetual ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

It wasn’t that long ago that self-driving cars perpetually felt a year away.

Read more on Barron's

Maybe even more importantly, after digging into the details, Hit realized that his contract had no end date and existed perpetually for the rest of his life.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At first sight, Staunton recalls being enthralled by her perpetually “cool” demeanor.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I can also explain why, despite the snickers and stares and perpetually blooming bruises, it’s still worth it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Yet Harjo wrote Lee as a tragicomic figure perpetually floundering his way through his investigations and his life, taking his share of black eyes and deadly near-misses in the bargain.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• constantly 
• endlessly www.thesaurus.com