perennial

American  

[puh-ren-ee-uhl] / pəˈrɛn i əl /

adjective

1. lasting for an indefinitely long time; enduring.

   As my grandmother aged, I marveled at her perennial beauty.

   Synonyms:

   continual, incessant, constant, perdurable

2. (of plants) having a life cycle lasting more than two years.

3. lasting or continuing throughout the entire year.

   The interpretive boardwalk follows a perennial stream through the marsh to the lake.

4. arising repeatedly or always existing; perpetual; recurrent.

   Tie dye is a perennial hit with children of all ages.

   The perennial rivalry between the two colleges ramps up during football season.

   Synonyms:

   immortal, eternal, undying, imperishable

5. Sometimes Perennial relating to or being an older person, especially one whose mindset, lifestyle, skills, or interests defy generational labels and stereotypes; ageless.

   Many companies are seeking to retain their perennial workers so as not to lose institutional history.

   This writer is a Perennial thinker, which is why he is successful and yet not really popular.

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noun

• perennials
  plural

1. a plant with a life cycle lasting more than two years.

   Daffodils and tulips are perennials.

2. something that is continuing, recurring, or enduring.

   Classical literature remains a perennial in liberal arts classrooms.

3. Sometimes Perennial an older person, especially one whose mindset, lifestyle, skills, or interests defy generational labels and stereotypes.

   At 81, the mayor calls herself a Perennial with no plans to retire.

perennial British  

/ pəˈrɛnɪəl /

adjective

1. lasting throughout the year or through many years

2. everlasting; perpetual

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noun

1. a woody or herbaceous plant that can continue its growth for at least two years Compare annual biennial

perennial Scientific  

/ pə-rĕn′ē-əl /

1. Living for three or more years.

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1. A perennial plant. Herbaceous perennials survive winter and drought as underground roots, rhizomes, bulbs, corms, or tubers. Woody perennials, including vines, shrubs, and trees, usually stop growing during winter and drought. Asters, irises, tulips, and peonies are familiar garden perennials.

2. Compare annual biennial

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• perenniality
  noun
• perennially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• perennials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of perennial

First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin perenni(s) “lasting the whole year through” ( per- per- ( def. ) + -enn-, stem of annus “year” + -is, adjective suffix) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Perennial typically describes things that are permanent, constant, or repeated. If you fight with your parents every year over whether they really must invite your annoying cousins for Thanksgiving, you could call that a perennial conflict. Arguing with your roommate about who cleaned the bathroom last time might be a perennial argument. There is also a perennial plant, which lasts more than two years and usually reappears each spring, because it produces flowers and seeds from the same root structure. Perennial comes from the Latin perennis, from the prefix per-, "through," plus annus, or "year." Annus is also the source of our English word annual — an annual plant lives only one year or season.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

perennial perennials

The perennial problem with horror, even contemporary horror, is that it’s an extremely difficult genre to migrate from.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

Among investors, one of those perennial stories is the young swashbuckling genius who comes out of nowhere, racks up gigantic gains on risky bets, attracts massive amounts of money, then crashes and burns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

There have been many changes in America’s political system in the last decade or so, but some things are perennial.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

For perennial postseason contenders, a splashy offseason ideally sets up a low-key trade deadline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

He accepted the ironic smiles of the owner of the house, Blanca’s grimaces, and the perennial distraction of Clara, who, even after a year, was still asking him his name.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Where there had been a jungle of weeds and vines, perennials and annuals bloomed thanks to avid volunteer gardeners and contributions from locals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

He has had a decent start to the season with Lancashire but has still been putting in the hours amid the perennials.

From BBC ● May 27, 2025

Outside the farm’s perimeter and at the top of the hillside, she is experimenting with drought-tolerant California native perennials, including fragrant pitcher sage, buckwheat, mallows and the native rose Rosa Californica.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2024

All kinds of species of trees, shrubs, and perennials bloomed unseasonably early this year.

From Salon ● May 16, 2024

The air had died in the cypresses in the courtyard, in the pale trappings of the bedrooms, in the dripping archways of the garden of perennials.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• chronic
• continual
• continuing
• eternal
• never-ending
• persistent
• recurrent
• seasonal