perpetual
87
5.8
- adjective
- /pərˈpɛtʃuəl/
- The artist's work reflects her perpetual quest for beauty and meaning.
- perpetual motion
- perpetual motion machine
- perpetual peace
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Watch on YouTubeAnd we would do well to get out of perpetual warfare state, Wayne.
- And we would do well to get out of perpetual warfare state, Wayne.
- He said that I exist is a perpetual surprise.
- We, we're, we're, we're people that have been in perpetual conflict, man.
- Eventually the people of the Stillness live in a perpetual state of disaster preparedness.
- If we stay in a a perpetual state of discomfort, that leads to pain.
- And they've adapted, presumably by Darwinian means, to survive in perpetual total darkness.
- Like, but that as well that like you are, there's no perpetual motion, right?
- It's lingering in the perpetual disease.
- And This is why, This is why I hate these perpetual wars.
- How can we get out of the situation of perpetual fear?
- All right now I'm AII like being a a perpetual student.
- Having said that, I also look like someone that has this like perpetual foreigner label stuck to them.
Examples
-
The young men lived in a state of perpetual tension, anxious for something to happen.
Fiction book (1990) -
Would you describe me as someone who lives in perpetual anxiety?
-
For now, the one thing that seems truly perpetual is our search.
-
The only perpetual source of growth is technology.
-
The season of perpetual hope.
-
So in fact, there was perpetual darkness up there.
-
Let perpetual light shine on her.
-
Several factors combined to ensure a perpetual role for Jordan in the affairs of neighboring Palestine.
Academic text (1993) -
One thing about my grandfather's cemeteries, you get perpetual care.
-
Feeling stronger now, I turn away from the life of diets and perpetual dissatisfaction.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
613
3.2
Continuing for a long time and unlikely to change
525
2.5
Happens all the time without stopping
357
4.3
Lasting forever without end
262
2.5
Continuing for a very long time and not stopping
178
3.1
Continuing to be present or useful for a long time
145
3.1
Continuing for a very long time with no end
129
5.1
Keeps going without stopping and stays very strong
109
3.9
Lasting a long time without stopping or getting weaker
72
4.5
Lasting forever without end
71
4.2
Continuing for a long time without fading
34
1.3
Continuing without any stops or pauses
29
6.3
Happening all the time without stopping
27
4.1
Lasting a long time without stopping
26
5.5
Something that lasts forever and never ends
24
4.4
Something that is always there and hard to ignore
13
7.5
Lasting a very long time and making you bored or annoyed
10
4.9
Not stopping or pausing for a long time
5
6.0
Continuing without stopping
4
5.7
Continuing to be important or true for a very long time
3
8.5
Continuing without stopping or getting weaker, often in a bad way
1
9.9
Lasting forever with no known beginning or end
Lasting for a very long time, seeming to never end
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
1
6.7
A device or chart that shows the day of the week for any date over many years
How Long
87
5.8
613
3.2
40
3.7
178
3.1
538
3.0
52
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
perpetual = perpetu + al
Although the adjective-forming suffix '-al' is recognizable, the root 'perpetu' is not a standalone modern English word and the sense comes via Latin-derived morphology, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from familiar English bases.
Etymology
The word perpetual comes from the old Latin word perpetuus, which meant 'continuous' or 'uninterrupted'. So something perpetual keeps going 'without stopping' and lasts on and on, which is why we use it for never-ending or very long-lasting things.