continual often implies a close prolonged succession or recurrence.
continual showers the whole weekend
continuous usually implies an uninterrupted flow or spatial extension.
football's oldest continuous rivalry
constant implies uniform or persistent occurrence or recurrence.
lived in constant pain
incessant implies ceaseless or uninterrupted activity.
annoyed by the incessant quarreling
perpetual suggests unfailing repetition or lasting duration.
a land of perpetual snowfall
perennial implies enduring existence often through constant renewal.
a perennial source of controversy
Example Sentences
As always, I was struck by how the core values of the military—service and discipline, both physical and intellectual—are so different from the perpetual American Mardi Gras. Joe Klein, Time, 29 Aug. 2005Because Hunter had been a perpetual Peter Pan, accepting the bleak reality of his death came hard. Douglas Brinkley, Rolling Stone, 22 Sept. 2005He's addicted to the perpetual flux of the information networks. He craves his next data fix. He's a speed freak, an info junkie. David Brooks, Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2001Only after I had built to the emotional peroration culminating in the word "astonishing" was I at last sufficiently unastonished by the force of my feelings to be able to put together a couple of hours of sleep—or something resembling sleep, for, even half out of it, I was a biography in perpetual motion, memory to the marrow of my bones. Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997 The region is in a state of perpetual war. He seems to have a perpetual grin on his face. the perpetual demands of parenthood See More
Recent Examples on the WebDue to forced and perpetual migration, language and cultural barriers, and lack of funds, many like me have to go out on individual expeditions to reconnect with our root homes. Marjua Estevez, refinery29.com, 24 Aug. 2022 Similar to their intake process, the perpetual care program allows seniors to pre-register their animals with the organization.Fox News, 13 Aug. 2022 Childhood friendship can be a time of innocence, enchantment and perpetual excitement as portrayed in Sophia Silver’s modest yet assured debut feature, Over/Under. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 June 2022 Forgetfulness, however, is just one aspect of my perpetual sunglasses battle. J.d. Simkins, Sunset Magazine, 6 June 2022 There is an escape that leads to failure during the attempt, and there are variations of escape that are more so successful yet lead to short-lived versus longstanding or perpetual freedom. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 5 May 2022 This veteran writer is always amazed at how the overwhelming share of Wall Street guests on TV business shows adopt the role of perpetual, cockeyed optimists. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2022 Not long ago, the Dons were mired in near-perpetual mediocrity. Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Mar. 2022 The majority of couples’ problems don’t have a ready solution, but are what’s known as perpetual.Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English perpetuel, from Anglo-French, from Latin perpetuus uninterrupted, from per- through + petere to go to — more at feather