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

Etymology

Origin of eternity

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

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

In the age of Instagram, everyone’s 15 minutes of fame has turned into an eternity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Getting there from Boston takes an eternity but helpful staff lessen the blow a bit - though on the whole, they don't really know their way around either.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Conrad spent 18 years at Microsoft, an eternity in the tech sector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

“She had succeeded in so many allegedly difficult situations that there’s not too much more you could throw at her. But six years is an eternity in politics. So here we are again.”

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

He just stood there for what seemed like an eternity until he finally put his gun back in the holster, turned in the opposite direction, and asked, “What’s my line again?”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

We have been imagining and describing one of those ostensible eternities — the afterlife — for millenniums.

From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2021

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

I remember: it happened yesterday, or eternities ago.

From "Night" by Elie Wiesel