perpetual
adjective
per·pet·u·al
pər-ˈpe-chə-wəl 
-chəl;
-ˈpech-wəl
1
a
: continuing forever : everlasting
perpetual motion
b(1)
: valid for all time
a perpetual right
(2)
: holding something (such as an office) for life or for an unlimited time
2
: occurring continually : indefinitely long-continued
perpetual problems
3
: blooming continuously throughout the season
Examples of perpetual in a Sentence
As always, I was struck by how the core values of the military—service and discipline, both physical and intellectual—are so different from the perpetual American Mardi Gras.
—
Joe Klein, Time, 29 Aug. 2005
Because Hunter had been a perpetual Peter Pan, accepting the bleak reality of his death came hard.
—Douglas Brinkley, Rolling Stone, 22 Sept. 2005
He's addicted to the perpetual flux of the information networks. He craves his next data fix. He's a speed freak, an info junkie.
—David Brooks, Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2001
Only after I had built to the emotional peroration culminating in the word "astonishing" was I at last sufficiently unastonished by the force of my feelings to be able to put together a couple of hours of sleep—or something resembling sleep, for, even half out of it, I was a biography in perpetual motion, memory to the marrow of my bones.
—Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997
The region is in a state of perpetual war.
He seems to have a perpetual grin on his face.
the perpetual demands of parenthood
Joe Klein, Time, 29 Aug. 2005
Because Hunter had been a perpetual Peter Pan, accepting the bleak reality of his death came hard.
—Douglas Brinkley, Rolling Stone, 22 Sept. 2005
He's addicted to the perpetual flux of the information networks. He craves his next data fix. He's a speed freak, an info junkie.
—David Brooks, Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2001
Only after I had built to the emotional peroration culminating in the word "astonishing" was I at last sufficiently unastonished by the force of my feelings to be able to put together a couple of hours of sleep—or something resembling sleep, for, even half out of it, I was a biography in perpetual motion, memory to the marrow of my bones.
—Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997
The region is in a state of perpetual war.
He seems to have a perpetual grin on his face.
the perpetual demands of parenthood
Recent Examples on the Web
Its cumulative perpetual volume runs into the trillions of dollars, and the fees feeding the Assistance Fund are real fees from real trading.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Hidden in perpetual darkness, these craters remain colder than Pluto, with temperatures dipping to around minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 223 degrees Celsius).
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 19 May 2026
In 2020, the Murdochs donated $5 million to establish a perpetual fellowship supporting leading researchers in fields including stem cell technology and genomic precision medicine.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
After a long and gruelling season of almost perpetual tension, another 90 minutes on the knife-edge await.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for perpetual
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Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Hidden in perpetual darkness, these craters remain colder than Pluto, with temperatures dipping to around minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 223 degrees Celsius).
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 19 May 2026
In 2020, the Murdochs donated $5 million to establish a perpetual fellowship supporting leading researchers in fields including stem cell technology and genomic precision medicine.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
After a long and gruelling season of almost perpetual tension, another 90 minutes on the knife-edge await.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for perpetual
Cite this Entry
“Perpetual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perpetual. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perpetual
adjective
per·pet·u·al
pər-ˈpech-(ə-)wəl
-ˈpech-əl
1
: continuing forever : everlasting
2
: occurring continually : constant
perpetually
adverb
-ē
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