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permanent

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective permanent contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of permanent are durable, lasting, and stable. While all these words mean "enduring for so long as to seem fixed or established," permanent adds usually the implication of being designed or planned to stand or continue indefinitely.

permanent living arrangements

When is it sensible to use durable instead of permanent?

Although the words durable and permanent have much in common, durable implies power to resist destructive agencies.

durable fabrics

When would lasting be a good substitute for permanent?

The words lasting and permanent can be used in similar contexts, but lasting implies a capacity to continue indefinitely.

a book that left a lasting impression on me

When is stable a more appropriate choice than permanent?

The meanings of stable and permanent largely overlap; however, stable implies lastingness because of resistance to being overturned or displaced.

a stable government

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of permanent
Adjective
If hotness is an effort to make the ephemeral permanent, then illness is a constant reminder of how nothing is forever. Michelle Santiago Cortés, refinery29.com, 26 June 2021 The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is working on making three Slow Streets closed to through traffic during the pandemic permanent: Page, Shotwell and Sanchez streets. Mallory Moench, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Feb. 2021
Noun
Each year in the United States, 7.4 million people are misdiagnosed in emergency rooms, causing death or permanent disability in 1 in 350 patients, according to a 2023 study from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025 Apart from one of the best collections of bronzes by Moore and Hepworth, there are permanent and long-term installations by the likes of Helen Escobedo, Antony Gormley, Andy Goldsworthy, and James Turrell. Kin Woo, Vogue, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for permanent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for permanent
Adjective
  • In the bathroom, which filled with morning light, the chain to flush the toilet was almost out of reach, and the sibylline whisper of the refilling tank seemed an eternal admonishment to the living.
    Jhumpa Lahiri, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
  • The goldfish is named Atman, the Sanskrit word for the eternal, universal self, which signals to the audience that Haidle’s play is more than a story about cake and candles.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • With my short hair with the perm on top and a big scar.
    Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Touted as a perm for your lashes, lash lifts are for the minimalist makeup girlies who want that lifted look sans all that extra effort of using mascara, a curler, and extensions.
    Audrey Noble, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The pair are part of a series of works which will lead to the creation of an immortal garden, suitable for any landscape, pulling inspiration from plants and trees which aid humanity either by granting us shad More sculpture by Pelletti is on display at Bowman Sculpture.
    Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • The Old Guard 2 (Netflix movie) Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortal warriors face a powerful new foe.
    Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • On the way to the conk pad, Mike runs over the f–ing show!
    Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
  • That’s what the slick dude with the conk and the blue Pontiac says to Elwood, who is hitching a ride to get to college.
    Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Photo-Illustration: Wired Staff/Victoria Turk The worst part of travel is the planning: the faff of finding and booking transport, accommodation, restaurant reservations—the list can feel endless.
    Victoria Turk, Wired News, 29 June 2025
  • In the age of dating apps and endless options, this fear has become more common than ever before.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Noun
  • As far as haircuts go, the French bob is leading the charge for summer.
    Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 27 June 2025
  • The ideal summer haircut should be light, airy, and tailored to you—hence the enduring popularity of the butterfly cut.
    Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • Cars honking in support were a perpetual backdrop to the protest as the hot afternoon waned.
    Sam Blum, New York Times, 22 June 2025
  • Related Articles In May 2024, the group acquire the perpetual license for Eyewear by David Beckham, which has become one of the most successful within Safilo’s arsenal of brands in recent years.
    Footwear News, Footwear News, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • The ‘pouf sentimental’ hairstyle was created by hairdresser Leonard Autie and debuted on the Duchesse de Chartres in 1774, famously adorned with 14 yards of gauze, figurines, a plate of cherries and a parrot.
    Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Skip tight hairstyles, such as ponytails or buns, that pull on your hair and scalp.
    Lindsay Curtis, Health, 25 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Permanent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permanent. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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