Oxford Essential Dictionary
permanent
adjective
continuing for ever or for a very long time without changing:
I'm looking for a permanent job.
Look at temporary.
>> permanently adverb:
Has he left permanently?a
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
permanent
I. per‧ma‧nent1 S2 W2 /ˈpɜːmənənt $ ˈpɜːr-/ BrE AmE adjective
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: present participle of permanere 'to stay till the end']
continuing to exist for a long time or for all the time in the future OPP temporary:
He gave up a permanent job in order to freelance.
a permanent change in your eating habits
The blindness that the disease causes will be permanent.
Miller soon became a permanent fixture (=someone or something that is always there) on the team.
—permanence (also permanency) noun [uncountable]:
the permanence of parental love
our desire for some sense of permanence
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ permanent continuing forever, for a very long time, or for the rest of your life: She has permanent damage to her eyesight. | the search for a permanent solution to the problem | They’ve offered her the job on a permanent basis.
▪ lasting continuing for a very long time – used especially when something continues to affect someone or something for a long time: The experience left a lasting impression on him. | Things that happen in early childhood can have a lasting effect on your life. | Shelley was to have a lasting influence on him. | Is there any hope for a lasting peace in the Middle East?
▪ never-ending continuing so long that you think it will never end – used especially when something needs a lot of effort: Keeping the house clean is a never-ending battle. | It was a never-ending task. | The search was never-ending.
▪ perpetual a perpetual state or feeling seems to be there all the time – used especially about something that is very annoying, worrying, or tiring: For many working mothers, balancing the demands of children and job is a perpetual challenge. | The people live in a perpetual state of fear.
▪ everlasting continuing forever – used especially in the following phrases: Gold is the symbol of everlasting love. | He promised them everlasting life.
▪ eternal continuing forever – used especially in the following phrases: Do you believe in eternal life? | the secret of eternal youth | She has my eternal gratitude (=I will always be grateful to her). | You’re always the eternal optimist. (=you always think that good things will happen)
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
permanent
per·man·ent adjective, noun [ˈpɜːmənənt] [ˈpɜːrmənənt]
adjective
lasting for a long time or for all time in the future; existing all the time
• a permanent job
• permanent staff
• They are now living together on a permanent basis.
• The accident has not done any permanent damage.
• a permanent fixture (= a person or an object that is always in a particular place)
• The gallery hosts various exhibitions and a permanent collection.
Opp: impermanent, Opp: temporary
Word Origin:
late Middle English: from Latin permanent- ‘remaining to the end’ (perhaps via Old French), from per- ‘through’ + manere ‘remain’.
Thesaurus:
permanent adj.
• No permanent damage was done.
lasting • |written enduring • • eternal • • immortal •
Opp: temporary
permanent/lasting/enduring/eternal value
a/an permanent/lasting/enduring relationship/solution/legacy
Example Bank:
• We decided to make the arrangement permanent.
• He decided to make London his permanent home.
• He is aiming to become a permanent fixture in the team.
• He was Vietnam's permanent representative at the UN.
• Holiday camps employ only a very small number of permanent staff.
• I'm not planning to move in here on a permanent basis.
• No permanent damage was done.
• She was unable to find a permanent job.
• The aim is a permanent reduction in inflation.
• The house is in a permanent state of chaos.
• The paintings are on permanent loan to the museum.
• The sheds were replaced with a permanent brick building.
• There is no guarantee of permanent employment after training.
Derived Word: permanently
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
permanent / ˈpɜː.mə.nənt / / ˈpɝː- / adjective
B1 lasting for a long time or for ever:
She is looking for a permanent place to stay.
Are you looking for a temporary or a permanent job?
The disease can cause permanent damage to the brain.
A semi-permanent hair dye will wash out after about three months.
He entered the United States in 1988 as a permanent resident because of his marriage to a U.S. citizen.
describes something that exists or happens all the time:
Mont Blanc has a permanent snow cap.
Our office is in a permanent state of chaos.
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
permanent
[pɜ͟ː(r)mənənt]
permanents
1) ADJ Something that is permanent lasts for ever.
Heavy drinking can cause permanent damage to the brain.
...a permanent solution to the problem...
The ban is intended to be permanent.
Ant:
temporary
Derived words:
permanently ADV ADV with v, ADV adj His reason had been permanently affected by what he had witnessed... The only way to lose weight permanently is to completely change your attitudes toward food.
permanence N-UNCOUNT Anything which threatens the permanence of the treaty is a threat to stability and to peace.
permanency N-UNCOUNT They gradually realized the permanency of their condition.
2) ADJ: usu ADJ n You use permanent to describe situations or states that keep occurring or which seem to exist all the time; used especially to describe problems or difficulties.
...a permanent state of tension...
They feel under permanent threat...
There was a permanent 20-yard queue for the portable toilets.
Syn:
constant
Derived words:
permanently ADV ...the heavy, permanently locked gate.
3) ADJ: ADJ n A permanent employee is one who is employed for an unlimited length of time.
At the end of the probationary period you will become a permanent employee.
...a permanent job.
Ant:
temporary
Derived words:
permanently ADV ADV with v ...permanently employed registered dockers.
4) ADJ: ADJ n Your permanent home or your permanent address is the one at which you spend most of your time or the one that you return to after having stayed in other places.
York Cottage was as near to a permanent home as the children knew...
They had no permanent address.
5) N-COUNT A permanent is a treatment where a hair stylist curls your hair and treats it with a chemical so that it stays curly for several months. [AM](in BRIT, use perm)
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1per·ma·nent /ˈpɚmənənt/ adj [more ~; most ~] : lasting or continuing for a very long time or forever : not temporary or changing
• She made a permanent home in this country.
• Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause permanent skin damage.
• The museum's permanent collection includes works of art from the 18th century.
• The transcripts will serve as a permanent record of the proceedings.
- per·ma·nence /ˈpɚmənəns/ noun [noncount]
• the permanence of the written word
- per·ma·nen·cy /ˈpɚmənənsi/ noun [noncount]
- per·ma·nent·ly adv
• He was permanently banned from the store.