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

3 a :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

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perennial

noun

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perennially

play \pə-ˈre-nē-ə-lē\ adverb

See perennial defined for English-language learners

See perennial defined for kids

perennial was our Word of the Day on 03/31/2009. Hear the podcast!

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 of perennial from the Web

So, naturally, having handed environmental policy over to people like EPA director Scott Pruitt, an extraction industry sublet, the way to solve these perennial problems with coal is not to study them any more.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Why Study Problems When You Can Simply Ignore Them?," 21 Aug. 2017
David Robinson was a perennial All-Star when the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan.

— david whitley, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Kyrie Irving could learn a thing or two from 'I Love Lucy'," 25 July 2017
In Uganda the perennial challenger, Kizza Besigye, has repeatedly been arrested during campaigns.

— The Economist, "How to unrig an electionNew methods and technology can make elections fairer," 20 July 2017
In San Antonio, the 6-foot-6 swingman was a third wheel of sorts behind perennial All-Star Kawhi Leonard and also Danny Green.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Opportunity drove Jonathon Simmons to Orlando," 18 July 2017
Little Janie’: A popular perennial with dark green foliage and abundant bicolor pink flowers.

— karen dardick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Spruce up garden with these heat seekers," 14 July 2017
Hardy hibiscus is a durable perennial that is often confused with its tropical cousin.

— dennis patton, kansascity, "Hardy hibiscus provides great summer color," 14 July 2017
Globe thistle, a striking steel-blue perennial, can be started from seed now too.

— margaret lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Start perennials from seed now and save on your gardening costs," 5 July 2017
By treating it like just another garden perennial or houseplant.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "These stunning plants all have one thing in common: A taste for blood," 3 July 2017

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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of perennial

Latin perennis, from per- throughout + annus year — more at per-, annual

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1660

See Words from the same year

perennial Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

Other Seed Plant Terms

aubergine, box, bramble, briar, composite, perpetual, pulse, trefoil

PERENNIAL Defined for English Language Learners

perennial

adjective

Definition of perennial for English Language Learners

of a plant : living for several years or for many years : having a life cycle that is more than two years long
: existing or continuing in the same way for a long time
: happening again and again

PERENNIAL Defined for Kids

perennial

adjective pe·ren·ni·al \ pə-ˈre-nē-əl \

Definition of perennial for Students

1 :present all through the year

a perennial stream

2 :living from year to year

a perennial plant

3 :never ending :constant

perennial joy

4 :happening again and again

perennial flooding

perennial

noun

Definition of perennial for Students

:a plant that lives from year to year

Word Root of perennial

The Latin word annus, meaning “year,” gives us the root ann or enn. Words from the Latin annus have something to do with a year. Anything that is annual happens once a year and anything biennial happens once every two years. An anniversary is the return every year of the date on which something special happened. Something perennial continues all year long or comes back each year.