perennial

Pluralperennials

1. 1
   adjective

   Of a plant, living for more than two years, often dying back in winter and regrowing from surviving roots or stems.

   Perennial grasses keep their roots alive through the winter and regrow in spring.

   Asparagus is a perennial crop that can keep producing for many years.

   Oppositeannual, biennial

   Note

   Botany sets perennial against annual, a plant of one growing season, and biennial, a plant of two. The line is drawn by the plant's life cycle rather than by climate, so a species that is perennial in its native range may be grown as an annual where winter kills it. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • An annual completes its life cycle in one growing season. fieldreport.caes.uga.edu
   • A biennial completes its life cycle over two growing seasons. extension.oregonstate.edu
   • The botanical categories annual, biennial and perennial classify plants by their life cycles. content.ces.ncsu.edu
   • A perennial from a warmer climate may be grown as an annual where frost kills it. extension.illinois.edu
2. 2
   nouncountable

   A plant that lives for more than two years, often regrowing each season from roots or other parts that survive.

   The border mixes shrubs with long-blooming perennials such as coneflowers and asters.

   A hardy perennial will survive the winter and send up new shoots in spring.

   UsageOften in hardy perennial, for one that survives the winter outdoors.

   Oppositeannual, biennial

   Note

   Gardeners use the noun more narrowly than botanists do. A border of perennials means flowering and leafy plants such as asters and coneflowers; trees and shrubs live for years and are perennial in the botanical sense, yet they are seldom called perennials. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Asters include herbaceous perennials suitable for garden borders. rhs.org.uk
   • Coneflowers include herbaceous perennials suitable for garden borders. rhs.org.uk
   • Trees and shrubs are perennial plants. extension.oregonstate.edu
3. 3
   adjectivefiguratively

   Happening, appearing, or coming up again and again, often year after year, so that it seems constant.

   Traffic is a perennial complaint at city council meetings.

   She was a perennial candidate who ran for mayor in every election and never won.

   UsageTypical pairings: a perennial favorite, a perennial problem, a perennial candidate.

   Similarrecurring, perpetual, constant, persistent, chronic

   Note

   The figurative use carries the idea from the seasons into human affairs: a perennial candidate, a perennial theme in politics, a perennial complaint. It usually sits before its noun and is seldom compared, though Annie Besant, in Life, Death, and Immortality, finds no question with "interest more perennial" than "Whence do I come?" Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • Annie Besant wrote Life, Death, and Immortality and used “interest more perennial” when discussing “Whence do I come?” en.wikisource.org
4. 4
   adjective

   Lasting or staying active through the whole year, for many years, or continually without end.

   Unlike the dry washes around it, the creek is perennial and flows all year.

   The highest peaks are capped with perennial snow that never fully melts.

   Similarpermanent, year-round, constant

   Oppositeseasonal, intermittent, ephemeral

   Note

   Running water is a favorite subject, from perennial fountains smoking in frosty weather to Thoreau's description of Walden Pond as "a perennial spring" with no visible inlet. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • A historical example describes perennial fountains smoking in frosty weather. en.wiktionary.org
   • Thoreau described Walden Pond as “a perennial spring” without any visible inlet. etc.usf.edu
5. 5
   nouncountable

   Something or someone that keeps recurring or endures for a long time, such as a regular performer, favorite, or problem.

   The group is a festival perennial, booked for the main stage summer after summer.

   Complaints about parking are perennials at every neighborhood meeting.

   UsageOften with a noun before it naming the setting: a festival perennial.

   Similarfixture, staple

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