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permanent

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Lasting for an indefinitely long time.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

purmuhnuhnt

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɝmənənt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Lasting for an indefinitely long time.

  2. Without end, eternal.

noun

  1. A chemical hair treatment imparting or removing curliness, whose effects typically last for a period of weeks; a perm.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Lasting for an indefinitely long time.

Used this way, permanent is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

permanent secretarypermanent magnetpermanent recordpermanent teethpermanent residentpermanent residencepermanent settlementpermanent court

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • perpetual

    Lasting forever, or for an indefinitely long time.

  • everlasting

    Of clothing or fabric: lasting a long time.

  • enduring

    Long-lasting without significant alteration.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • permanentlyadverbDerived adverb

    For a long time without essential change.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • permanent magnetnounCompound term

    A magnet that retains its magnetism after being removed from a magnetic field.

  • permanent toothnounCompound term

    Any of the 32 teeth that replace the deciduous teeth of early childhood and (with luck) can last until old age.

  • permanent wavenounCompound term

    A series of waves in the hair made by applying heat and chemicals.

  • permanent pressnounCompound term

    A fabric that has been chemically processed to resist wrinkles and hold its shape.

  • permanent injunctionnounCompound term

    Injunction issued on completion of a trial.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

adjective

Sense: lasting for an indefinitely long time

perpetualenduringeverlastingeternalindissoluble

noun

Sense: chemical hair treatment imparting or removing curliness

permpermanent waveRegional

Antonyms

Sense: lasting for an indefinitely long time

temporaryimpermanent

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.