perpetual

adjective

per·​pet·​u·​al pər-ˈpe-chə-wəl 

-chəl;

-ˈpech-wəl

1

a

: continuing forever : everlasting

perpetual motion

b(1)

: valid for all time

a perpetual right

(2)

: holding something (such as an office) for life or for an unlimited time

2

: occurring continually : indefinitely long-continued

perpetual problems

3

: blooming continuously throughout the season

Synonyms

• ceaseless
• continual
• continued
• continuing
• continuous
• incessant
• nonstop
• running
• unbroken
• unceasing
• uninterrupted
• unremitting

Choose the Right Synonym for perpetual

continual, continuous, constant, incessant, perpetual, perennial mean characterized by continued occurrence or recurrence.

continual often implies a close prolonged succession or recurrence.

continual showers the whole weekend

continuous usually implies an uninterrupted flow or spatial extension.

football's oldest continuous rivalry

constant implies uniform or persistent occurrence or recurrence.

lived in constant pain

incessant implies ceaseless or uninterrupted activity.

annoyed by the incessant quarreling

perpetual suggests unfailing repetition or lasting duration.

a land of perpetual snowfall

perennial implies enduring existence often through constant renewal.

a perennial source of controversy

Examples of perpetual in a Sentence

As always, I was struck by how the core values of the military—service and discipline, both physical and intellectual—are so different from the perpetual American Mardi Gras. —Joe Klein, Time, 29 Aug. 2005

Because Hunter had been a perpetual Peter Pan, accepting the bleak reality of his death came hard. —Douglas Brinkley, Rolling Stone, 22 Sept. 2005

He's addicted to the perpetual flux of the information networks. He craves his next data fix. He's a speed freak, an info junkie. —David Brooks, Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2001

Only after I had built to the emotional peroration culminating in the word "astonishing" was I at last sufficiently unastonished by the force of my feelings to be able to put together a couple of hours of sleep—or something resembling sleep, for, even half out of it, I was a biography in perpetual motion, memory to the marrow of my bones. —Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997

The region is in a state of perpetual war.

He seems to have a perpetual grin on his face.

the perpetual demands of parenthood

Recent Examples on the Web

The sun’s position is so distant that no light reaches Svalbard at all, casting the sky into a perpetual state of pitch-black darkness. —Cecilia Blomdahl, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2024

Pricing: The new version of CleanMyMac is available now and costs $39.95 / £30.95 / €39.95 for an annual subscription or $119.95 / £101.95 / €119.95 for a perpetual license. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

The nightmare scenario would be a zone of important but depopulating economies, accounting for much of the world’s output, frozen into perpetual sclerosis or decline by pessimism, anxiety, and resistance to reform. —Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024

The 1975 case involved Dodgers pitcher Andy Messersmith and prompted arbitrator Peter Seitz to strike down the reserve clause, the restrictive contract language that had kept players under perpetual team control for nearly 100 years. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English perpetuel, from Anglo-French, from Latin perpetuus uninterrupted, from per- through + petere to go to — more at feather

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing perpetual

• perpetual calendar
• perpetual check

Kids Definition

perpetual

adjective

per·​pet·​u·​al pər-ˈpech-(ə-)wəl 

-ˈpech-əl

1

: continuing forever : everlasting

2

: occurring continually : constant

perpetually

-ē

adverb