timeless

adjective

time·less | \ ˈtīm-ləs

Definition of timeless

1a : not restricted to a particular time or date the timeless themes of love, solitude, joy, and nature — Writer

b : having no beginning or end : eternal

2 : not affected by time : ageless

3 archaic : premature, untimely

Other Words from timeless Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about timeless

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Did You Know?

Time is money. "Time is the great physician." "Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations." Everyone seems to know what time is, but what does it mean to be "timeless"—that is, "without time"? Until around the turn of the 20th century, timeless was sometimes used to mean "untimely" or "premature," as in "he met his timeless end." That usage, which dates back to the late 16th century, is now considered archaic, but an equally venerable sense, "eternal" or "having no beginning or end," has proven more enduring. The two remaining senses are somewhat newer. The "not restricted to a particular time or date" meaning dates to the mid-18th century, while the most modern meaning—"ageless"—didn't exist until just before the turn of the 20th century. (By the way, the quotations we started with came from Benjamin Franklin, British statesman Benjamin Disraeli, and American writer Faith Baldwin, respectively.)

Examples of timeless in a Sentence

The dresses that she designs are elegant and timeless. the timeless beauty of the sea

Recent Examples on the Web

There's also something about them that feels timeless and chic. — Glamour, "The Absolute Best One Piece Bathing Suits of 2019," 20 May 2019 Just a presumably first-rate, uncluttered, purely dramatic interpretation of a timeless, bona-fide classic, complete and unabridged. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Les Misérables’ Review: No One Hears the People Sing," 11 Apr. 2019 Tyler's partner in creativity and contentiousness Joe Perry, 67, and the other Aerosmith members seemed similarly timeless on Saturday. — Doug Maccash, NOLA.com, "Aerosmith sings for the years, laughter and tears at Jazz Fest 2018," 5 May 2018 ABBA’s timeless songs propel this tale of a mother, daughter and three possible dads. — Lisa Herendeen, The Mercury News, "S.F. Bay Area calendar: Bohemian Rhapsody movie night, comedy and more," 23 June 2019 Then there is the matter of operating as a timeless zone in a world that runs on schedules. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "This Norwegian Island Wants to Become the World’s First Time-Free Zone," 19 June 2019 The timeless Chantilly Racecourse offers a fairytale setting for the festival of racing, with the overlooking Grand Chateau one of the most spectacular historical monuments in the world. — Ben Church, CNN, "Prix de Diane Longines: Channel storms to victory in Chantilly spectacle," 16 June 2019 No matter how advanced our future technology gets, that's a struggle that is timeless. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Black Mirror is back for S5, but it might be running out of fresh ideas," 10 June 2019 There is a connection at baseball parks between fans and field that is special and timeless, and any barrier between the two means something has been lost. — Bob Ford, https://www.inquirer.com, "Baseball netting must increase as attention spans decrease | Bob Ford," 4 June 2019

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