Perpetual means continuing forever, or at least seeming to go on without end. A perpetual motion machine, if one could actually exist, would run forever without needing more energy. A perpetual trophy stays with a school or team permanently rather than being passed around each year.

The word often describes things that feel endless even if they technically aren't. A student stuck in a boring lecture might feel trapped in perpetual boredom. Someone who constantly interrupts could be called a perpetual chatterbox. When your little brother asks “are we there yet?” every five minutes on a long car trip, it can feel like perpetual questioning.

In stories and legends, perpetual often appears with grand ideas: perpetual youth (never growing old), perpetual sunshine, or perpetual winter.

Notice that perpetual is stronger than just “frequent” or “regular.” Rain that falls perpetually never stops, while rain that falls regularly might come every afternoon but still gives you breaks in between. Something perpetual just keeps going and going, like the Earth's orbit around the sun or that one annoying song that gets stuck in your head for days.