perpetuity
noun
per·pe·tu·i·ty ˌpər-pə-ˈtü-ə-tē 
-ˈtyü-
plural perpetuities
1
: eternity sense 2
2
: the quality or state of being perpetual
bequeathed to them in perpetuity
3
a
: the condition of an estate limited so that it will not take effect or vest within the period fixed by law
b
: an estate so limited
4
: an annuity payable forever
Did you know?
Continual existence—that elusive philosophical concept is reflected in perpetuity, which traces to Latin perpetuus, an adjective meaning "continual" or "uninterrupted." The word has specific legal use. It can refer, for example, to an arrangement in a will rendering land forever incapable of being surrendered or transferred (or at least, for a period longer than is set by rules against such arrangements) or to an annuity that is payable forever.
Synonyms
- eternity
- everlasting
- foreverness
- infinity
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
lands that should remain in their wild state in perpetuity
Recent Examples on the Web Project Plato has succeeded in pausing Patricia Cook’s lawsuit, and the company will be protected from her case and all others in perpetuity if it is granted a non-debtor release, which extends the shield of bankruptcy to non-bankrupt parties. 
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2022 Meanwhile, actors are already worried that the technology will put them out of work—or that young actors will be pressured into selling entertainment companies the rights to use their biometric data in perpetuity. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2022 The goal of the tours, rentals, classes and painting sales is to raise money for an endowment that will preserve the property in perpetuity, according to Drew Hubbell, the second-eldest of the Hubbells’ four sons. San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022 This kind of thing is a window into a corporate culture where everyone is afraid to deliver bad news up the org chart, instead pretending that all is well in perpetuity. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 3 Sep. 2022 If the way a new-wave starlet makes her money is by allowing herself to be immortalized on-screen, gazed at in perpetuity, what about the rest of us? Philippa Snow, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2022 Once part of the Danish West Indies and a hub for cotton and sugar plantations, most of the land on St. John was donated to the U.S. government by Laurance Rockefeller in 1954, with the express interest that it be preserved in perpetuity as a park. Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 29 Aug. 2022 Viewers have come to see streaming as an endless bounty of programming choices that are available in perpetuity. Stephen Battagliostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2022 The Howley Foundation has stated its wish to continue the program in perpetuity. cleveland, 18 Aug. 2022 See More
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2022 Meanwhile, actors are already worried that the technology will put them out of work—or that young actors will be pressured into selling entertainment companies the rights to use their biometric data in perpetuity. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2022 The goal of the tours, rentals, classes and painting sales is to raise money for an endowment that will preserve the property in perpetuity, according to Drew Hubbell, the second-eldest of the Hubbells’ four sons. San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022 This kind of thing is a window into a corporate culture where everyone is afraid to deliver bad news up the org chart, instead pretending that all is well in perpetuity. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 3 Sep. 2022 If the way a new-wave starlet makes her money is by allowing herself to be immortalized on-screen, gazed at in perpetuity, what about the rest of us? Philippa Snow, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2022 Once part of the Danish West Indies and a hub for cotton and sugar plantations, most of the land on St. John was donated to the U.S. government by Laurance Rockefeller in 1954, with the express interest that it be preserved in perpetuity as a park. Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 29 Aug. 2022 Viewers have come to see streaming as an endless bounty of programming choices that are available in perpetuity. Stephen Battagliostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2022 The Howley Foundation has stated its wish to continue the program in perpetuity. cleveland, 18 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English perpetuite, from Anglo-French perpetuité, from Latin perpetuitat-, perpetuitas, from perpetuus
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing perpetuity
Legal Definition
perpetuity
noun
per·pe·tu·i·ty ˌpər-pə-ˈtü-ə-tē, -ˈtyü-
plural perpetuities
1
: the quality, state, or duration of being perpetual
devised to them in perpetuity
2
a
: the condition of a future estate limited in such a way as not to vest within the period fixed by law for the vesting of an estate
also : a limitation that gives rise to such a situation
b
: an estate that will not vest within the period fixed by law see also rule against perpetuities, statutory rule against perpetuities
3
: an annuity payable forever
perpetuity
noun
as in eternity
endless time lands that should remain in their wild state in perpetuity Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- eternity
- infinity
- foreverness
- everlasting
- permanence
- permanency
- timelessness
- endlessness
- boundlessness
- limitlessness
- interminableness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- impermanence
- ephemerality
- transience
- transitoriness
- temporariness