evergreens

IPA/ˈev.ə.ɡriːn/
KK[ˈɛvɚɡrˌinz]IPA/ˈev.ɚ.ɡriːn/

evergreens — noun

  • evergreenssingular
  • evergreensesplural

1. trees, bushes, or other plants that keep their green leaves or needles during ev

1.nounB1
Definition

trees, bushes, or other plants that keep their green leaves or needles during every season, including winter — unlike deciduous plants, which lose their leaves in autumn.

Example

Andrés planted a row of tall evergreens along the driveway to block the wind.

collocation: row of evergreens

The path through the park is lined with evergreens, so it stays green all year.

Common collocations
  • tall evergreens
  • row of evergreens
  • fresh evergreens
  • line of evergreens
  • forest of evergreens
  • plant evergreens
  • decorate with evergreens
Synonyms
  • conifers

    a subgroup of evergreens that bear cones, such as pines and firs — not all evergreens are conifers

  • pine trees

    a common type of evergreen tree with long needles

  • fir trees

    another common evergreen, often used as Christmas trees

Antonyms
  • deciduous trees

    trees that lose their leaves each autumn, opposite of evergreens

Grammar Patterns

evergreens + verb (plural)

a/an evergreen (singular)

Usage Note

The singular form 'evergreen' refers to one such plant; 'evergreens' is the usual plural. Often used when describing landscapes, garden plants, or holiday decorations.

Common Mistakes

This pine tree is an evergreens.
This pine tree is an evergreen.
'Evergreens' is a plural noun; use 'evergreen' (without -s) for one plant.
Evergreens are a type of tree who keep leaves all year.
Evergreens are trees that keep their leaves all year.
Use 'that' (not 'who') for plants.

evergreens — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

All three words describe things that last, but they differ in emphasis. 'Timeless' suggests that something is so good it never seems to belong to a specific period — a timeless melody sounds just as fresh today as the day it was written. 'Enduring' focuses on withstanding the test of time despite challenges or changes — an enduring tradition survives wars, migration, and social shifts. 'Perennial' originally meant 'lasting through the years' in botany, and in figurative use it describes things that keep coming back or remain consistently popular — a perennial debate topic reappears in every generation. 'Evergreen' is closest in feel to 'timeless' but carries a warmer, more organic tone, as if the work stays naturally alive rather than simply surviving. An evergreen song is one that radio stations still play naturally; a timeless song is one critics still call a masterpiece.

timeless ↗enduring ↗perennial

Common collocations

Nouns

  • evergreen(s) + noun

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed by combining the adverb 'ever' (meaning 'always, at all times') with the adjective 'green', referring to the colour of living leaves. The compound 'evergreen' has been used since the 1500s to describe plants that stay green through all seasons. By the mid-1900s, the word gained a figurative meaning: anything that stays fresh or popular over time, like a song or a story.

First known use

1579

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun