Idiom idiom
hardy perennial
Meaning
Synonym of perennial (“a person, problem, etc. that appears or returns regularly”).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Traffic jams are a hardy perennial in this city.”
“Budget cuts remain a hardy perennial that the committee discusses at every single meeting.”
“The debate over educational reform has become a hardy perennial, surfacing in every election cycle without ever reaching a final resolution.”
Origin
From the botanical term for a plant that lives for several years, surviving the winter to bloom again each spring. The metaphorical extension into English followed the classification of plants by their life cycles.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026