perpetuate
/pəˈpɛtʃ.u.eɪt/To cause something to continue for a long time, often forever. It is most commonly used when talking about something negative — like a harmful belief, a bad situation, or an unfair system — that keeps being passed on or kept alive.
- Outdated textbooks can perpetuate harmful stereotypes about cultures.
- These policies only serve to perpetuate poverty in rural areas.
- Social media often perpetuates misinformation at a frightening speed.
Adinary Nuance
Perpetuate is close to maintain, sustain, and preserve, but each word has a different feel. Maintain is neutral — you maintain a road or a friendship. Sustain is often positive — you sustain life, growth, or effort. Preserve strongly implies protecting something valuable — you preserve a tradition or a forest. Perpetuate, by contrast, almost always carries a negative weight in modern usage; writers reach for it when describing cycles of harm, injustice, or falsehood being kept alive. Saying "this perpetuates the problem" sounds more critical and academic than "this maintains the problem," so it fits formal essays and IELTS writing naturally, but can sound heavy-handed in casual speech.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- Duy trì mãi mãi
- Spanish
- Perpetuar
- Chinese
- 使长期持续
- Japanese
- 永続させる
- Korean
- 영속시키다
Etymology
From Latin "perpetuare" (to make continuous), rooted in "perpetuus" meaning unbroken or lasting. The word entered English in the mid-16th century through scholarly and legal writing, carrying that Latin sense of making something go on without end.
Common phrases
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is 'perpetuate' formal or informal?
- It is formal. You will see it most in academic writing, journalism, and IELTS essays. In everyday spoken English, people more often say 'keep going' or 'keep alive' instead.
- What is the difference between 'perpetuate' and 'maintain'?
- 'Maintain' is neutral — you can maintain a garden or a friendship. 'Perpetuate' almost always implies something negative or problematic is being kept alive, like a stereotype or an unfair system.
- Can 'perpetuate' be used for something positive?
- Technically yes — you could say 'perpetuate a tradition' — but it sounds unusual. Native speakers prefer 'preserve' or 'carry on' for positive things. Stick to 'perpetuate' for negative or harmful subjects to sound natural.
- Is 'perpetuate' a good word for IELTS essays?
- Yes. It is a high-frequency academic verb that scores well in Task 2 essays, especially when discussing social problems, inequality, or media influence. Use it where you want to say something harmful keeps continuing.