infinity

[ in-fin-i-tee ]
See synonyms for infinity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural in·fin·i·ties.
  1. the quality or state of being infinite.

  2. something that is infinite.

  1. infinite space, time, or quantity.

  2. an infinite extent, amount, or number.

  3. an indefinitely great amount or number.

  4. Mathematics.

    • the assumed limit of a sequence, series, etc., that increases without bound.

    • infinite distance or an infinitely distant part of space.

  5. Photography.

    • a distance between a subject and the camera so great that rays of light reflected from the subject may be regarded as parallel.

    • a distance setting of the camera lens beyond which everything is in focus.

Origin of infinity

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English infinite, from Latin infīnitās, from in- in-3 + fīni(s) “boundary, end, highest point” (see finish) + -tās -ty2

Words that may be confused with infinity

Words Nearby infinity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use infinity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for infinity

infinity

/ (ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. the state or quality of being infinite

  2. endless time, space, or quantity

  1. an infinitely or indefinitely great number or amount

  2. optics photog a point that is far enough away from a lens, mirror, etc, for the light emitted by it to fall in parallel rays on the surface of the lens, etc

  3. physics a dimension or quantity of sufficient size to be unaffected by finite variations

  4. maths the concept of a value greater than any finite numerical value

  5. a distant ideal point at which two parallel lines are assumed to meet

  • Symbol (for senses 4–7):

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for infinity

infinity

[ ĭn-fĭnĭ-tē ]


  1. A space, extent of time, or quantity that has no limit.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.