perennial

adjective

pe·ren·ni·al | \ pə-ˈre-nē-əl

Definition of perennial

1 : present at all seasons of the year

2 : persisting for several years usually with new herbaceous growth from a perennating part perennial asters

3a : persistent, enduring perennial favorites

b : continuing without interruption : constant, perpetual the perennial quest for certainty a perennial student

c : regularly repeated or renewed : recurrent death is a perennial literary theme

Other Words from perennial Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about perennial

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Choose the Right Synonym for perennial

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

Did You Know?

Nowadays when we talk about "perennial plants," or simply "perennials" ("perennial" can be a noun, too), we mean plants that die back seasonally but produce new growth in the spring. But originally "perennial" was equivalent to "evergreen," used for plants that remain with us all year. We took this "throughout the year" sense straight from the Romans, whose Latin perennis combined "per-" ("throughout") with a form of "annus" ("year"). The poet Ovid, writing around the beginning of the first millennium, used the Latin word to refer to a "perennial spring" (water source), and the scholar Pliny used it of birds that don't migrate. Our "perennial" retains these same uses, for streams and occasionally for birds, but it has long had extended meanings, too.

Examples of perennial in a Sentence

The problem … is inherent and perennial in any democracy, but it has been more severe in ours during the past quarter-century because of the near universal denigration of government, politics and politicians. — Michael Kinsley, Time, 29 Oct. 2001 The issue between science and art is of perennial interest to me, since I started off in science in college, in medicine, was headed for psychiatry, and ended up writing novels … — Walker Percy, "The State Of The Novel," 1977, in Signposts in a Strange Land, 1991 … scientists are warning that a perennial viral threat, the upcoming flu season, could be far more dangerous than usual—more evidence that these tiny foes are responsible for a large share of human suffering. — Claudia Wallis, Time, 3 Nov. 1986 This variety of oregano is perennial. Flooding is a perennial problem for people living by the river.

Recent Examples on the Web

Richardson is an ideal 3-and-D guy, Embiid is a perennial DPOY candidate, and Horford has shown an ability to guard everyone from his new teammates Simmons and Embiid, to the current MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, "Five Lineups to Look Forward to After NBA Free Agency," 3 July 2019 Last October, a judge ordered a thirty-six-month preventive detention of Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of Alberto Fujimori and a former member of Congress, who is herself a perennial candidate for the Presidency. — Daniel Alarcón, The New Yorker, "What Led Peru’s Former President to Take His Own Life?," 1 July 2019 Althea Garrison was a perennial candidate for three decades until a vacancy led to her appointment to the City Council in January. — Milton J. Valencia, BostonGlobe.com, "With an ex-priest as her top aide, Althea Garrison seeks to challenge council from the right," 18 June 2019 Key to transformation is guayule, a flowering perennial in the aster family native to deserts in the United States and Mexico and transplanted to arid Europe near the Mediterranean Sea. — Ted Evanoff, USA TODAY, "Bridgestone hopes to harvest desert shrub for rubber tires in cars, trucks," 21 Feb. 2018 Fruit growers and people with perennial plants love to have snow cover. — Kevin Dupzyk, Popular Mechanics, "Could a Platoon of Helicopters Have Saved Washington, D.C.'s Cherry Blossoms?," 20 Mar. 2017 Under Widbin, the Broncos have been perennial state championship contenders. — Emily Horos, azcentral, "All-Arizona lacrosse team, Player of Year finalists, Coach of Year named," 5 June 2019 The Islanders improved their point total every year during Marshall’s six seasons, becoming a perennial contender well before winning a Cup. — Geoff Baker, The Seattle Times, "Poulsbo resident, former defenseman Bert Marshall is keeping an eye on Seattle’s NHL decisions," 25 Mar. 2019 Outsiders might look at the Seahawks players who left the team this spring and see a perennial contender in peril. — Jamie Lisanti, SI.com, "Fashionable 50," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perennial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.