Definition of perpetualnext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word perpetual different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of perpetual are constant, continual, continuous, incessant, and perennial. While all these words mean "characterized by continued occurrence or recurrence," perpetual suggests unfailing repetition or lasting duration.

a land of perpetual snowfall

When is constant a more appropriate choice than perpetual?

The words constant and perpetual are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, constant implies uniform or persistent occurrence or recurrence.

lived in constant pain

When can continual be used instead of perpetual?

While the synonyms continual and perpetual are close in meaning, continual often implies a close prolonged succession or recurrence.

continual showers the whole weekend

When would continuous be a good substitute for perpetual?

While in some cases nearly identical to perpetual, continuous usually implies an uninterrupted flow or spatial extension.

football's oldest continuous rivalry

In what contexts can incessant take the place of perpetual?

In some situations, the words incessant and perpetual are roughly equivalent. However, incessant implies ceaseless or uninterrupted activity.

annoyed by the incessant quarreling

When is it sensible to use perennial instead of perpetual?

The synonyms perennial and perpetual are sometimes interchangeable, but perennial implies enduring existence often through constant renewal.

a perennial source of controversy

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 perpetual Insurers pay family doctors the least and specialists the most, which explains the perpetual shortage of primary care providers. Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, 7 May 2026 Sagittarius Pluto in Sagittarius’ perpetual search for truth and meaning is nothing short of relentless. Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026 As a perpetual and prolific dealmaker, this collaboration is likely to be one of many for Smith’s new Vice News. Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026 Devo’s yellow hazmat jumpsuits are in tatters, an unavoidable side effect of the band’s collective (in all senses) perpetual motion. Michael Tedder, SPIN, 5 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for perpetual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perpetual
Adjective
  • The third-year students spent nearly a year developing and refining the engine, which runs through continuous rotating explosions in a circular chamber.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
  • That idea is at the center of Continuous Detection, Continuous Response (CDCR), a new framework implemented through Mate Security’s platform for converging those functions into a single continuous cycle.
    K.H. Koehler, USA Today, 18 May 2026
Adjective
  • During a news conference Thursday, members of the group said the early morning operation was part of an ongoing campaign of harassment, including members being followed home and prank calls on their hotline.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
  • Appearing on America's Newsroom, Crean Lutheran High School girls’ track and field athlete Olivia Viola addressed CIF's ongoing neglect of female athletes' calls to oust boys from competition, including AB Hernandez.
    Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Adjective
  • Rescuing utopian idyll from dystopian reality, Koreeda determines that humanity is too fragile to forfeit its defining qualities to a mechanical species; that our only viable function in an artificial tomorrow is as the eternal caretakers of memory and imagination.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
  • Vegas will remain formidable because of its eternal win-now mandate.
    Eric Stephens, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Adjective
  • Her duties as head of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers bring her in continual contact with new names, some of whom win one of the three prizes and some — such as Virgil Abloh and Demna — do not but nevertheless develop major careers.
    WWD Staff, Footwear News, 14 May 2026
  • The same ecosystem that rewards luxury also demands its continual maintenance, creating a pressure loop where image, income, and identity collapse into one another and can lead to poor decisions.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 12 May 2026
Adjective
  • When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and laid siege to Mariupol, the building became an enduring emblem of the city’s resistance.
    James Verini, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
  • But the nation’s everyday drug is also the culprit behind its most enduring and overlooked drug crisis.
    Lev Facher, STAT, 12 May 2026
Adjective
  • During my lifetime there have been 55 years in which my country has engaged in prolonged and endless conflicts or wars, few of which have brought a decisive victory.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2026
  • Everything is more expensive because of an endless war and reckless tariffs.
    Irene Wright, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Adjective
  • What Iran proposes would be something of a digital toll road where cables that cross in or near its waters must pay to ensure continued operation.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026
  • Her attorneys claim the company refused and continued distributing televisions featuring the packaging.
    Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 16 May 2026
Adjective
  • The film’s central figure is the world’s only immortal man, drawn into a romance with a Japanese scholar whose life’s work centers on ancient texts about dying.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 May 2026
  • Heracles discovered the Hydra's den in the Lernaean Swamps with the aid of the goddess Athena and was able to break or sever its many necks — while using fire to prevent them from growing back — until only a single immortal head remained.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 9 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Perpetual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perpetual. Accessed 19 May. 2026.

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