Meanings
alternative obsolete perpetuall
- not comparableLasting forever, or for an indefinitely long time.
Synonyms: persistent, ageful, agelong, amaranthine, celestial, endless, enduring, eternal
- not comparableContinuing; uninterrupted.
There are perpetual requests for changes as new payloads and new demands and modifications are suggested by the users.
1986 June 6, Richard Feynman, “Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle”, in Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, Report to the President1 more example
"And yet," returned Francesca, "the secret of Arden's sufferings seems to have been in himself. From earliest youth he indulged in vain contrasts and repinings, and even his very love was selfish and cruel. Think how much happiness he lost by his perpetual exaggerations!"
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXVIII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 297Synonyms: continuous, nonstop
- not comparablebiologyFlowering throughout the growing season.
The hybrid perpetual roses as a rule require to be pruned to within 4 to 6 inches of the ground.
1 more example
By means of artificial hybridization, practised for a series of years, he has succeeded in producing a race of carnations which are perpetual bloomers.
plural perpetuals · alternative obsolete perpetuall
- abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of perpetual check.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveLasting forever, or for an indefinitely long time.
adjectiveContinuing; uninterrupted.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivecontinuing forever or indefinitely
adjectiveuninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinperpetuālis“universal”
- Old Frenchperpetuel
- Middle Englishperpetuel
- Englishperpetual
From Middle English perpetuel, from Old French perpetuel, from Latin perpetuālis (“universal”), from perpetuus, from petō.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek αἰώνιος, ἐνδελεχής
- αἰώνιος (aiṓnios)lasting forever
- ἐνδελεχής (endelekhḗs)continuing; uninterrupted
Bulgarian вечен, безкраен
- вечен (večen)lasting forever
- безкраен (bezkraen)lasting forever
- постоянен (postojanen)continuing; uninterrupted
- непрекъснат (neprekăsnat)continuing; uninterrupted
Catalan perpetu, perpetual
- perpetulasting forever
- perpetuallasting forever
Chinese Cantonese 無休止嘅 /无休止嘅, 連續不斷嘅 /连续不断嘅
- 無休止嘅 /无休止嘅 (mou⁴ jau¹ zi² ge³)continuing; uninterrupted
- 連續不斷嘅 /连续不断嘅 (lin⁴ zuk⁶ bat¹ dyun⁶ ge³)continuing; uninterrupted
Danish evig, vedvarende
- eviglasting forever
- vedvarendecontinuing; uninterrupted
- permanentcontinuing; uninterrupted
Dutch eeuwig, eeuwigdurend
- eeuwiglasting forever
- eeuwigdurendlasting forever
Finnish ikuinen, päättymätön
- ikuinenlasting forever
- päättymätönlasting forever
- jatkuvacontinuing; uninterrupted
- päättymätöncontinuing; uninterrupted
- koko kasvukauden kukkivaflowering throughout the growing season
French perpétuel
- perpétuellasting forever
German unbefristet, ewig
- unbefristetlasting forever
- ewiglasting forever
- immerwährendlasting forever
- unaufhörlichlasting forever
- dauerhaftlasting forever
- permanentlasting forever
- ununterbrochencontinuing; uninterrupted
- ständigcontinuing; uninterrupted
- fortwährendcontinuing; uninterrupted
- perpetuellcontinuing; uninterrupted
- immerblühendflowering throughout the growing season
Greek παντοτινός, αέναος
- παντοτινός (pantotinós)lasting forever
- αέναος (aénaos)continuing; uninterrupted
- πολυετής (polyetís)flowering throughout the growing season
Hindi शाश्वत, निरंतर
- शाश्वत (śāśvat)lasting forever
- निरंतर (nirantar)lasting forever
- शाश्वत (śāśvat)continuing; uninterrupted
- निरंतर (nirantar)continuing; uninterrupted
Hungarian örökös, örökké tartó
- örököslasting forever
- örökké tartólasting forever
- örököscontinuing; uninterrupted
- folytonoscontinuing; uninterrupted
- szakadatlancontinuing; uninterrupted
Indonesian abadi
- abadilasting forever
Irish síoraí, síoraí
- síoraílasting forever
- síoraícontinuing; uninterrupted
- síorcontinuing; uninterrupted
Italian perpetuo, perenne
- perpetuolasting forever
- perennecontinuing; uninterrupted
Korean 영구의
- 영구의 (yeongguui)lasting forever
Latin aeternus, perpetuus
- aeternuslasting forever
- perpetuuslasting forever
- sempiternuslasting forever
- perpetuuscontinuing; uninterrupted
- perpescontinuing; uninterrupted
- iūgiscontinuing; uninterrupted
Māori mutungakore
- mutungakorelasting forever
Norwegian Bokmål evigvarende
- evigvarendelasting forever
Polish wieczny, bezustanny
- wiecznylasting forever
- bezustannycontinuing; uninterrupted
- całorocznyflowering throughout the growing season
Portuguese perpétuo, perpétuo
- perpétuolasting forever
- perpétuocontinuing; uninterrupted
- perpétuoflowering throughout the growing season
Romanian perpetuu, perpetuu
- perpetuulasting forever
- perpetuucontinuing; uninterrupted
Russian вечный
- вечный (večnyj)lasting forever
Spanish perpetuo
- perpetuolasting forever
Ukrainian вічний, безперервний
- вічний (vičnyj)lasting forever
- безперервний (bezperervnyj)continuing; uninterrupted
- постійний (postijnyj)continuing; uninterrupted
Cite this entry
perpetual. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perpetual
“perpetual.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perpetual. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perpetual,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perpetual.
Source: perpetual on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.