eternity

noun

eter·​ni·​ty i-ˈtər-nə-tē 

plural eternities

1

: the quality or state of being eternal

2

: infinite time

lasting throughout eternity

3

eternities plural : age sense 3b

4

: the state after death : immortality

5

: a seemingly endless or immeasurable time

an eternity of delays

Synonyms of eternity

• perpetuity
• infinity
• foreverness

Examples of eternity in a Sentence

They believed that sinners would spend eternity in hell.

We suffered through an eternity of delays during the lawsuit.

Recent Examples on the Web

That seems like an eternity ago to Cane babies born that year and perhaps now parents themselves. —Greg Cote january 5, Miami Herald, 5 Jan. 2026

My obsession with the savory, comforting elixir born from braising greens just shy of an eternity began not with my grandmother, but with one of my best friends, Dana Stinson. —Josh Miller, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2025

Anthony set off for the edge of the North China Plain, where gargantuan wind turbine blades on trucks took what felt like an eternity to pass on the roads. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 29 Dec. 2025

Red Bandana troubadour, braids like twin ropes lassoing eternity? —Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English eternite, from Middle French eternité, from Latin aeternitat-, aeternitas, from aeternus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for eternity

• fraternity
• maternity
• modernity
• paternity
• confraternity
• taciturnity

Kids Definition

eternity

noun

eter·​ni·​ty i-ˈtər-nət-ē 

plural eternities

1

: the quality or state of being eternal

2

: endless time

3

: the state after death : immortality

4

: time that seems to be endless