eternity

American  

[ih-tur-ni-tee] / ɪˈtɜr nɪ ti /

noun

• eternities
  plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noneternity
  noun
• preeternity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• eternities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of eternity

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

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Explanation

Eternity means "forever," like living for all eternity. Or it can mean something that seems like it will go on for forever, like waiting an eternity for your sister to get out of the bathroom. Eternity means "time without end, or infinity," like people who promise to love one another for eternity — they aren't planning to ever split up. When you put the word an before eternity, you can use it to describe a very long — too long — period of time, so that you can use it to complain. For example, you might use the phrase "it felt like an eternity," after waiting twenty minutes to get an ice cream cone.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eternity eternities

The wait until the next international break in March will undoubtedly feel like an eternity for Dewsbury-Hall.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

There were 10 minutes between Hibs and a League Cup final against Rangers, but 10 minutes can be an eternity between these two.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

For months that felt more like an eternity, the AI didn’t win a point.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Maiava’s average time to throw while under pressure so far this season is nearly four seconds, which, by Big Ten standards, is an eternity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

It would be a perfect moment to freeze in time and make into a little diorama that I could inhabit for an eternity.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

I think back on how those long, slow last days with Tessa, free from distractions at work or worry about bills, seemed to last eternities.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2021

Chidi and Eleanor had eternities on end together, but when Chidi traded his philosophy texts for a copy of The Da Vinci Code, it was clear that his end, at least, was nigh.

From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2020

In Brandon, for eternities, they’ll fondly remember his varsity debut against Petal.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2019

Nabokov wrote: “The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.”

From New York Times ● May 1, 2016

I remember: it happened yesterday, or eternities ago.

From "Night" by Elie Wiesel

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