Perpetual Meaning
/pɚˈpɛt͡ʃuəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjLasting forever, or for an indefinitely long time.
adjSet up to be in effect or have tenure for an unlimited duration.
Sentence Examples
Lifelong education means perpetual retraining.
Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal.
Tom thinks he has invented a perpetual motion machine.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ rain in the rainforest creates a very humid environment all year long.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The machine was marketed as a ____ motion device, but scientists quickly proved it was a fraud.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English perpetuel, from Old French perpetuel, from Latin perpetuālis (“universal”), from perpetuus, from petō.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
""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 297:
"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 President:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ rain in the rainforest creates a very humid environment all year long.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The machine was marketed as a ____ motion device, but scientists quickly proved it was a fraud.