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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 There is always a temptation to make the temporary permanent, which is why the peace government must prioritize elections. Ashraf Ghani, Foreign Affairs, 4 May 2021
Noun
Certified instructors continue teaching his wet-on-wet oil painting technique to the masses, and the Smithsonian acquired several of his works for its permanent collection in 2019. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025 Faye joined Bolton on an initial six-month loan, then a permanent €3million deal and made such an impact that Allardyce later signed him for Newcastle United, too. Oliver Kay, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for permanent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for permanent
Adjective
  • His big, bright smile, infectious energy and eternal positivity created a presence that continually uplifted others.
    Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Oct. 2025
  • The film stars Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner in a story set in the afterlife, where souls have one week to choose their eternal fate.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In recent years, pop culture has brought perm hairstyles back to the conversation via those wanting a perm for specific trendy reasons.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Additionally, many Black women use chemical hair straightening kits, or perm kits, which have recently been linked to endometrial cancer incidence.
    Abigail Folberg, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Khalid was born mortal, but was given an immortal life when his father placed his soul into the body of Hunbish, a child that the Goryeo girl once wished to save.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Published in The Atlantic magazine in June 1866, Whittier’s poem gave the real-life tragedy of the Dash and her crew additional immortal power.
    Leanna Renee Hieber, Big Think, 2 Oct. 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
  • The film looks like a million bucks, has a high pedigree of talent, and mistakes constant poking for conversation, endless buzzwords for a buffet of food for thought, incendiary hypotheticals for insight.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Predictive tax planning — hard to do now without endless data collection — could attract new customers to wealth management.
    Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Instead of focusing on the defense industrial base, the upcoming national defense strategy, or preparing to face threats across the Indo-Pacific and Europe, Hegseth talked about fitness tests and haircuts, coming across as pedantic for a room of seasoned commanders, the staffer said.
    Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025
  • In May, the actress debuted a bob haircut at the Tory Burch Foundation Honors Martha Stewart at the 2025 Founders Breakfast in New York City.
    Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The show tells the story of the Butlers’ unlikely friendship with their new(ish) neighbor, perpetual nice-guy Dave Johnson (Max Greenfield), his wife, Gemma (Beth Behrs), and their now-teenage son, Grover (Hank Greenspan).
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Convincingly portraying a woman who regains her dignity in her quest to follow in her father’s footsteps, Hart’s performance of inscrutable sacrifice balances a regal confidence with the uneasiness of someone in perpetual survival mode.
    Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The caption was a reference to her hairstyle worn during her days on Dancing With the Stars.
    Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
  • The The Naked Gun star debuted not one but two new hairstyles while in Paris, starting with a fresh, coppery hair color.
    Kara Nesvig, Allure, 2 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Permanent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permanent. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

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