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
This could have been a trial run for a more permanent handoff of power. Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026 After a lengthy search, the building at 650 Danbury Road in Ridgefield, formerly the headquarters of the Schimenti Construction Company, was chosen as The ARChive’s permanent home. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 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
  • Whereas futurists look forward to achieving eternal life by uploading their brains to the cloud, many prefer a more traditional conception of salvation.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Ironically, in Hollywood, the land of eternal youth, end-of-life-doula training has become newly fashionable in the way that studying Kabbalah once was.
    Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 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
  • All the entries are highly personal, bracingly creative and audaciously inventive recreations of immortal standards familiar throughout the world.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Turritopsis dohrnii, commonly called the immortal jellyfish, has an ability that no amount of venture capital has managed to replicate.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Fungal problems are common and some produce the mushroom growths called conks along limbs.
    Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026
  • The conk, the afro… and the jheri curl.
    Sonari Glinton, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • As a reader, my interest in other people’s work and ideas is essentially endless.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Film promotion isn’t for the weak—a press tour requires long, grueling days (often in faraway cities), endless obligations, and, as a result, innumerable outfit changes.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The advertised jackpot is enormous, but after the lump-sum haircut, taxes and fees, the take‑home number is much lower.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • After the parade, thousands gather in Washington Park for a picnic and festival featuring free hairstyling, haircuts, school supplies, and health screenings, along with crafts, vendors, college admissions representatives, and a job fair.
    Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Extraction propelled by a global financial system that demands perpetual growth, even unto infinity?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • This move, coupled with broader industry efforts in memory compression and new architectures from companies like Samsung and SK Hynix, actively challenges the market's assumption of perpetual memory scarcity.
    Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Teens are notorious for experimenting with everything from hairstyles to clothing in the name of self-expression.
    Liz Regalia, Parents, 10 Aug. 2026
  • In film, this hairstyle has become emblematic, notably in Bend It Like Beckham, where Keira Knightley wears it with a short curtain crop.
    Elise Fabre, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Permanent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permanent. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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