WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
per•ma•nent /ˈpɜrmənənt/USA pronunciation
adj.
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- existing and not stopping;
everlasting. - intended to serve, function, etc., for a long period:a member of the permanent faculty.
- long-lasting or nonfading:permanent ink.
n. [countable]
- ClothingAlso called ˈper•ma•nent ˈwave. a wave or curl set into the hair by treating it with chemicals or heat:Her permanent lasted for a number of months.
per•ma•nent
(pûr′mə nənt),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
per′ma•nent•ly, adv.
per′ma•nent•ness, n.
- existing perpetually;
everlasting, esp. without significant change. - intended to exist or function for a long, indefinite period without regard to unforeseeable conditions:a permanent employee; the permanent headquarters of the United Nations.
- long-lasting or nonfading:permanent pleating; permanent ink.
n.
- ClothingAlso called per′manent wave′. a wave or curl that is set into the hair by the application of a special chemical preparation and that remains for a number of months.
- Latin permanent- (stem of permanēns), present participle of permanēre to remain. See per-, remain, -ent
- late Middle English 1400–50
per′ma•nent•ness, n.
- 1. stable, invariable, constant.
- 1. temporary; inconstant.
'permanently' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
acquire
- bathtub
- blind
- castle
- custodianship
- definitive
- denizen
- die
- electret
- engrave
- establish
- exclude
- fix
- good
- hard disk
- hard-wired
- icecap
- ice field
- ice shelf
- jess
- landlocked
- microcircuit
- one-parent family
- permafrost
- plant
- recall
- reside
- ROM
- send down
- sessile
- shop
- shutter
- solifluction
- stamp
- status zero
- stay
- stretch
- swamp
- swampland
- theft
- thermosetting
- transsexual
- tundra
- apocalypse
- assign
- attached
- backstay
- ballast
- bud
- bypass