posterity
noun
Did you know?
When you envision the future, what do you imagine people doing? Zooming about in flying cars? Taking interstellar vacations across the galaxy? Whatever those people of the future get up to, if you’re doing something for posterity, you’re doing it for them. Posterity has referred to all future generations in a general sense since the 16th century. When it was first used in the 14th century, however, posterity referred to all of someone’s offspring, down to the furthest generation. It’s this use we hear in the preamble to the US Constitution: “We the People ... in Order to ... secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Posterity comes—as all words do—not from the future but from the past, specifically from the Latin word posterus, meaning “coming after.” Other notable and perhaps surprising descendants of posterus include preposterous (“absurd”) and posterior (“buttocks”). Who could have foreseen that?
Examples of posterity in a Sentence
Frank Kermode, New York Review of Books, 22 June 2006
Posterity looks for hooks to hang old reputations on …
—John Updike, New York Review of Books, 15 July 2004
The restructuring of the New York Yankees began five days after that broken-bat bloop by Luis Gonzalez parachuted to posterity behind second base, clinching the World Series for the Arizona Diamondbacks and breaking the Yankees' run of three titles.
—Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 24-31 Dec. 2001
It was puzzling to own trees—they were not owned the way a business is owned or even a house is owned. If anything, they were held in trust. In trust. Yes, for all of posterity, beginning with Merry and her kids.
—Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997
Posterity will remember her as a woman of courage and integrity.
A record of the events was preserved for posterity.
The truth about what happened will be known to posterity.
Tom Williams, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
Now, Eno’s nostalgic ditty will be preserved for posterity.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2025
The trip was captured for posterity by filmmakers Albert and David Maysles.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
By the time the chorus rolled around, the commuters were in full voice, shouting along (and filming the whole thing for posterity), as Fallon banged on a tambourine.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for posterity
Cite this Entry
“Posterity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/posterity. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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