noun
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the condition or quality of being final or settled; conclusiveness
the finality of death
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a final or conclusive act
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metaphysics the doctrine of the efficacy of final causes Compare teleology
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of finality
Explanation
Finality is the absolute, definite end. People often speak of the finality of death — nothing comes after it and nothing that came before it can be changed. If someone speaks with absolute finality, he is not going to change his mind. The sound of a judge's gavel slamming down gives a sense of finality to his or her judgment. Because of its association with death and closure, finality often carries a somber undertone. It can also be used in conjunction with the end of a sports season. But even the finality of the seventh game of a classic World Series is usually forgotten by the time spring training rolls around.
Vocabulary lists containing finality
The Haunting of Hill House
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Bunnicula
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X: A Novel
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Finality, though, doesn’t equal clarity, and there’s perhaps some more haranguing to come as it pertains to proven or suspected users of performance-enhancing drugs.
From Washington Post • Jan. 25, 2022
Time—:24.31 :47.23 1:10.84 1:22.72 1:35.08 Winner—Ch filly 2009, by Finality - Sailpast by No Louder Owner—Greame Hope.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 8, 2013
He added, "Finality at some point is indispensable to any rational�and workable �judicial system."
From Time Magazine Archive
Finality hung in the air, heavy and hollow.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Finality in reform had already been found impossible, and Russell and the advanced men were slowly drawing ahead of conservatives like Melbourne and Palmerston.
From British Supremacy & Canadian Self-Government, 1839-1854 by Morison, J. L. (John Lyle)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
