eternity

noun eter·ni·ty \ i-ˈtər-nə-tē \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of eternity

plural eternities

1 : the quality or state of being eternal

2 : infinite time

lasting throughout eternity

3 eternities plural : age 3b

4 : the state after death : immortality

5 : a seemingly endless or immeasurable time

an eternity of delays

See eternity defined for English-language learners

See eternity defined for kids

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 of eternity from the Web

Devon and Marie stared at each other for what felt like an eternity—shocked.

— sean lester durham, The Root, "We Head South," 8 Apr. 2018
Part of the satisfaction of naming a species comes from the fact that a name is for eternity — or at least as long as humans keep speaking about nature.

— michael ohl, BostonGlobe.com, "From the Hitler beetle to the Beyoncé fly," 8 Apr. 2018
Tiger Woods was in the woods on the fifth hole at the Masters on Friday and taking what seemed like an eternity to find his ball.

— usa today sports, USA TODAY, "Tiger Woods into the woods and Twitter fans are so sad," 6 Apr. 2018
Three outline the elaborate funerary process Tut underwent, from preparation for burial and a journey through the underworld to rebirth for eternity.

— christopher knight, latimes.com, "How good is the King Tut exhibition? An art critic weighs in," 29 Mar. 2018
The actress found herself being GIF-ed into eternity earlier this month, after cameras at the 2018 Academy Awards caught her seeming to suddenly remember something midclap.

— andrea park, Glamour, "Jennifer Garner Has No Idea What She Was Thinking at the Oscars Either," 16 Mar. 2018
The shots continued for what felt like an eternity.

— Time, "A Student Started Filming During the Florida School Shooting. He Hasn't Stopped," 15 Feb. 2018
The Michigan Wolverines waited for what felt like an eternity to play its opening round of the NCAA tournament, so Michigan coach John Beilein tried to kill time by walking around Wichita.

— jeff seidel, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan basketball ends wait, wins ugly game with beautiful defense," 16 Mar. 2018
And now, after what seems like an eternity of living without our tailfins, the entire mermaid collection is finally here.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "Tarte's Full Mermaid Makeup Collection Just Dropped and It's Pool-Side Beauty Goals," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eternity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of eternity

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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eternity Synonyms

ETERNITY Defined for English Language Learners

eternity

noun

Definition of eternity for English Language Learners

: time without an end
: a state that comes after death and never ends
: time that seems to be without an end

ETERNITY Defined for Kids

eternity

noun eter·ni·ty \ i-ˈtər-nə-tē \

Definition of eternity for Students

plural eternities

1 : time without end

2 : the state after death

3 : a period of time that seems endless

I waited an eternity.

Learn More about eternity

See words that rhyme with eternity Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for eternity Spanish Central: Translation of eternity Nglish: Translation of eternity for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of eternity for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about eternity

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eternity

Definition of eternity

Examples of eternity in a Sentence

Recent Examples of eternity from the Web

Origin and Etymology of eternity

eternity Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

ETERNITY Defined for English Language Learners

eternity

Definition of eternity for English Language Learners

ETERNITY Defined for Kids

eternity

Definition of eternity for Students

Learn More about eternity

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