permanent 1 of 2

permanent

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective permanent contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of permanent are durable, lasting, and stable. While all these words mean "enduring for so long as to seem fixed or established," permanent adds usually the implication of being designed or planned to stand or continue indefinitely.

permanent living arrangements

When is it sensible to use durable instead of permanent?

Although the words durable and permanent have much in common, durable implies power to resist destructive agencies.

durable fabrics

When would lasting be a good substitute for permanent?

The words lasting and permanent can be used in similar contexts, but lasting implies a capacity to continue indefinitely.

a book that left a lasting impression on me

When is stable a more appropriate choice than permanent?

The meanings of stable and permanent largely overlap; however, stable implies lastingness because of resistance to being overturned or displaced.

a stable government

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of permanent
Adjective
Republicans and Democrats came together to pass a forceful, and expensive, emergency response that helped prevent permanent scarring to the economy. Matt Egan, CNN Money, 22 May 2025 Sörensen was considered to be among the Blackhawks’ candidates for the permanent opening. Scott Powers, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Noun
If hotness is an effort to make the ephemeral permanent, then illness is a constant reminder of how nothing is forever. Michelle Santiago Cortés, refinery29.com, 26 June 2021 The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is working on making three Slow Streets closed to through traffic during the pandemic permanent: Page, Shotwell and Sanchez streets. Mallory Moench, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Feb. 2021 See All Example Sentences for permanent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for permanent
Adjective
  • Featuring continuous, interlocking lines, the popular motif symbolizes infinity, the eternal nature of life, unity and bonds of loyalty.
    Kyle Roderick, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • The technique makes an ephemeral beauty eternal by flattening the daisies, pansies, violets, and wildflowers that color your garden and turning them into enchanting home decor.
    Perri Ormont Blumberg, Architectural Digest, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • With my short hair with the perm on top and a big scar.
    Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Touted as a perm for your lashes, lash lifts are for the minimalist makeup girlies who want that lifted look sans all that extra effort of using mascara, a curler, and extensions.
    Audrey Noble, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Diaz is accompanied by an immortal knight, a resourceful swashbuckler, an elderly vampire, a horny werewolf and an elf who can turn invisible (using a power that reminded me of Doli from The Prydain Chronicles).
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
  • Sacchi had been hired to implement his countercultural style to Italy — the high-pressing, on-the-front-foot, winning-isn’t-enough-on-its-own mentality of his era-defining and immortal Milan side.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • On the way to the conk pad, Mike runs over the f–ing show!
    Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
  • That’s what the slick dude with the conk and the blue Pontiac says to Elwood, who is hitching a ride to get to college.
    Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Each animal has poseable features, providing endless play and display possibilities.
    Mia Huelsbeck, People.com, 24 May 2025
  • Traditional news doesn’t hit the same when our personal feeds are designed to present us with an endless flux of novelty and nostalgia.
    M. J. Corey, New Yorker, 24 May 2025
Noun
  • Julianne Moore just distilled every major hair trend of summer 2025 into one effortlessly chic haircut.
    Laura Solla, Vogue, 24 May 2025
  • Of even greater offense was Pattinson’s fluffy, Kennedy-esque haircut and — worse still — a patch of fur visible on his chest.
    Bruce Handy, Vulture, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • Jon Pertwee's Doctor spent much of his tenure exiled on Earth — a punishment doled out by the Time Lords for his perpetual interference in other cultures — but found plenty of work as a scientific advisor for UNIT, an organisation that remains integral in the modern era of the show.
    Richard Edwards, Space.com, 29 May 2025
  • Back to the original question: How much longer must the Hawks be stuck in a state of perpetual losing?
    Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • Sarah Jessica Parker parted ways with her staple hairstyle on Wednesday night to channel an early 2000s aesthetic that’s highly controversial in the beauty world.
    Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 24 May 2025
  • In a notable departure from his more familiar look, Brock Lesnar has been observed sporting a new, considerably longer hairstyle.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Permanent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permanent. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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