eternity

American  

[ih-tur-ni-tee] / ɪˈtɜr nɪ ti /

noun

PLURAL

eternities

1. infinite time; duration without beginning or end.

2. eternal existence, especially as contrasted with mortal life.

   the eternity of God.

3. Theology.  the timeless state into which the soul passes at a person's death.

4. an endless or seemingly endless period of time.

   We had to wait an eternity for the check to arrive.

5. eternities, the truths or realities of life and thought that are regarded as timeless or eternal.

---

eternity British  

/ ɪˈtɜːnɪtɪ /

noun

1. endless or infinite time

2. the quality, state, or condition of being eternal

3. (usually plural) any of the aspects of life and thought that are considered to be timeless, esp timeless and true

4. theol the condition of timeless existence, believed by some to characterize the afterlife

5. a seemingly endless period of time

   an eternity of waiting

---

Other Word Forms

• noneternity noun
• preeternity noun

Etymology

Origin of eternity

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English eternite, from Latin aeternitās; equivalent to eterne + -ity

Example Sentences

Instead of plopping us into an eternity in media res, Freyne introduces something novel to this process: a choice.

From Salon

Teller’s old-school charisma in conveying that nervous energy is his own bid for a career eternity.

From Los Angeles Times

Eloquently connecting a mathematical design to a generative drive, the two add up to eternity.

From The Wall Street Journal

That tweak allows quantum computers to juggle more possibilities at once, opening the way for solutions to problems that would take conventional computers a near eternity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hugo had to settle for spending eternity in Paris’s Pantheon.

From The Wall Street Journal