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Permanent vs Forever - What's the difference?

permanent | forever |

As nouns the difference between permanent and forever

is that permanent is a chemical hair treatment imparting or removing curliness, whose effects typically last for a period of weeks; a perm while forever is an extremely long time.

As an adjective permanent

is without end, eternal.

As a verb permanent

is to perm (the hair).

As an adverb forever is

for all time, for all eternity; for an infinite amount of time.

permanent

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Without end, eternal.
    • Nothing in this world is truly permanent .
  • Lasting for an indefinitely long time.
    • The countries are now locked in a permanent state of conflict.

    Antonyms

    * impermanent, temporary

    Derived terms

    * permanently * permanent marker * permanent wave * permanent way

    Related terms

    * permafrost * permatemp

    Noun

    (wikipedia permanent) (en noun)
  • A chemical hair treatment imparting or removing curliness, whose effects typically last for a period of weeks; a perm.
  • * 1943 , (Raymond Chandler), The High Window , Penguin 2005, p. 8:
    • She had pewter-coloured hair set in a ruthless permanent , a hard beak and large moist eyes with the sympathetic expression of wet stones.
  • (linear algebra, combinatorics) Given an n \times n matrix a_{ij} \,, the sum over all permutations \pi \, of \prod_{i=1}^n{a_{i\pi(i)}}.

    • See also

    * determinant * ephemeral * relaxer * temporary

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (dated) To perm (the hair).

    • External links

    * * * ----

    forever

    English

    Alternative forms

    * for ever

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (duration) for all time, for all eternity; for an infinite amount of time.
    • ''I shall love you forever .
  • * 1839 , Denison Olmsted, A Compendium of Astronomy Page 95
    • Secondly, When a body is once in motion it will continue to move forever , unless something stops it. When a ball is struck on the surface of the earth, the friction of the earth and the resistance of the air soon stop its motion.
  • (duration, colloquial) for a very long time, 'an' eternity.
    • ''We had to wait forever to get inside.
  • (frequency) constantly or frequently.
    • ''You are forever nagging me.
  • * 1912 : (Edgar Rice Burroughs), (Tarzan of the Apes), Chapter 5
    • Early in his boyhood he had learned to form ropes by twisting and tying long grasses together, and with these he was forever tripping Tublat or attempting to hang him from some overhanging branch.

    Usage notes

    * In the United Kingdom and most of the Commonwealth, the spelling for ever'' may be used instead of ''forever'' for the senses "for all time" and "for a long time". In Canada and the United States, generally only ''forever is used, regardless of sense.

    Synonyms

    * always * continually * eternally * evermore * for good * forevermore * for ever more * incessantly * until Kingdom come

    Derived terms

    * foreverness

    Related terms

    * everlasting * every * everyday * never * nevermore * whatever * whenever * whoever

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An extremely long time.
  • *
  • * 2007 , Ruth O'Callaghan, Where acid has etched
    • In the airport, holiday lovers kiss, mouth forevers , the usual argot betrays you. Desire makes love dull.
  • (colloquial) a mythical time in the infinite future that will never come.
    • ''Sure, I'd be happy to meet with you on the 12th of forever .