perpetually
part of speech
adverb (perpetually)
meaning for a pupil
1) All the time, without stopping; forever. tree →
2) Again and again, so often it seems constant: he is perpetually late. tree →
sense in the lessons
Used in stories and reports to show something keeps happening, often in an annoying or funny way: «The cat was perpetually hungry». In science it can describe something that never stops, like the Earth perpetually spinning. It is a formal or bookish word; in everyday speech people say «always» or «all the time». Phrases: «perpetually late», «perpetually busy», «perpetually hungry».
examples
- My little brother is perpetually hungry. tree →
- The Earth spins perpetually on its axis. tree →
- Our neighbour's dog barks perpetually. tree →
- Uncle Joe is perpetually late for dinner. tree →
- The tap dripped perpetually all night. tree →
- She seemed perpetually cheerful. tree →
- The office printer is perpetually broken. tree →
- The river flows perpetually to the sea. tree →
- A FATHER had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. tree →
note
Adverb from «perpetual» plus «-ly». Usually an exaggeration meaning «very often». Simpler words: always, constantly, forever.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «perpetually» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.