Definition of permanentnext

permanent

2 of 2

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
The sad thing was that within days of becoming an apprentice, he was packed off to hospital for a cartilage operation on a knee that, 10 years later, would bring a permanent end to his career. Andy Mitten, New York Times, 17 July 2026 The project is projected to create more than 1,000 permanent, high-quality jobs while attracting additional investment to the state’s growing nuclear energy sector. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
Noun
While Republicans made the tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, these minor tax cuts for a few ordinary Americans are short-lived. Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 8 July 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for permanent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for permanent
Adjective
  • Society’s needs always change, while many foundations’ missions are intended to satisfy a specific need that’s not eternal.
    Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
  • But their patience dwindles, her son Telemachus (Tom Holland, his eternal boyishness put to great use) is getting easier to goad into a fight, and the blind swineherd Eumaeus (John Leguizamo) is all that’s left of the king’s loyal servants.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 July 2026
Noun
  • Between the football, the success and the fashionable perm, that was the kind of popularity that Machtig Maus (Mighty Mouse) had.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Randall got her first perm at seven years old and consistently relaxed her hair for nearly five decades.
    Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • And nowhere was that ability used to such immortal effect as in one of his earliest roles, playing a Cold War–era spy cuckolded by a tentacle monster.
    Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 15 July 2026
  • The immortal being who’d called himself a god just moments prior regresses into his stuttering, childhood self.
    Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
Noun
  • The conk, the afro… and the jheri curl.
    Sonari Glinton, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
  • 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 healthiest version of the creator economy shouldn’t leave people in endless one-way communication.
    Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • There was just an endless stream of popular people and brands blasting popular things into your eyeballs and eardrums.
    Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Noun
  • Additionally, the specter of broadening the sales tax base — to include untaxed services such as haircuts, lawn care and auto repair, for example — remains a favorite among the revenue-seeking set here.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
  • More and more people are growing out and leaning into their shimmering silver, and the only thing cooler than embracing the color is figuring out the haircut that makes the most of it in a way that’s very you.
    Marci Robin, Allure, 17 July 2026
Adjective
  • On his glitzy and paranoid new record, the rapper wrestles with survivor’s guilt while making a case for East Coast boom-bap’s perpetual adaptability.
    Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026
  • Robertson said that Sheetz decided to quit VMware because Broadcom’s changes, which include eliminating perpetual licenses in favor of subscriptions to large bundles, forced the retail chain’s hand.
    Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026
Noun
  • Some of the trendiest hairstyles—we’re talking tousled pixies, timeless bobs, and modern shags, to name a few—look especially incredible with gray hair.
    Marci Robin, Allure, 17 July 2026
  • Zendaya’s new hairstyle comes on the heels of her stunning, back-to-back fashion streak on the red carpet.
    Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 17 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Permanent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permanent. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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