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The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

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Often, perpendicular to. at right angles (to), at 90 degrees<br />

(to): <strong>The</strong> two paths are perpendicular to one another.<br />

perpetrate<br />

v. commit, execute, perform, carry out or through, effect,<br />

effectuate, accomplish, do, be responsible for, practise, Colloq<br />

pull (<strong>of</strong>f): Atrocities were perpetrated on both sides in the<br />

war.<br />

perpetual adj. 1 eternal, infinite, everlasting, never-ending, unending,<br />

perennial, ageless, timeless, long-lived, permanent, unceasing,<br />

lasting, enduring, unvarying, unchanging, immutable, invariable,<br />

undeviating, Literary sempiternal: <strong>The</strong>y declared their<br />

perpetual love for each other. 2 constant, uninterrupted,<br />

continuous, unfailing, incessant, persistent, unremitting,<br />

unending, non-stop, endless, recurrent, continual, repetitive:<br />

Why should we have to listen to the neighbours' perpetual<br />

bickering?<br />

perpetuate<br />

v. continue, maintain, extend, keep (on or up), keep going,<br />

preserve, memorialize, immortalize, eternalize: Thoughtless<br />

jokes can perpetuate damaging stereotypes.<br />

perpetuity<br />

n. permanence, constancy, timelessness; eternity: <strong>The</strong> estate<br />

was bequeathed to the townspeople in perpetuity.<br />

perplex v. confuse, bewilder, puzzle, mystify, distract, baffle,<br />

befuddle, confound, muddle, disconcert, stump, nonplus, stymie,<br />

stupefy, stun, daze, dumbfound or dumfound, flabbergast, Colloq<br />

bamboozle, hornswoggle, Chiefly US and Canadian discombobulate,<br />

throw for a loop: <strong>The</strong> more I tried to understand bathymetric<br />

semiotics, the more perplexed I became. <strong>An</strong>ne-Marie's reticence<br />

perplexed us all.<br />

perplexing<br />

adj. confusing, bewildering, puzzling, mystifying, baffling,<br />

confounding, disconcerting, stupefying, flabbergasting,<br />

enigmatic, paradoxical, incomprehensible, unfathomable,<br />

impenetrable, recondite, arcane, labyrinthine, complex,<br />

complicated, Byzantine, intricate, involved, convoluted,<br />

twisted, knotty, Gordian: <strong>The</strong> writing is filled with perplexing

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