immortality
AmericanEtymology
Origin of immortality
1300–50; Middle English immortalite < Latin immortālitās. See immortal, -ity
Explanation
If you achieve immortality that means you’ll live forever. If you find a magic potion, maybe you can literally live forever. Otherwise you’ll have to gain immortality by doing something so great that people never forget you. You may believe immortality can be achieved if you drink enough carrot juice, but so far humans haven’t figured out the secret to living forever. Instead, you’ll often hear immortality used to in relation to magnificent accomplishments. You may gain immortality by painting great works of art, like Michelangelo, or by being a great slugger, like Babe Ruth. The achievements live on, and the fame keeps your memory alive, forever! Or at least for a really long time.
Vocabulary lists containing immortality
American Born Chinese
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"Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson
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Vocabulary from "There Will Never Be an Age of Artificial Intimacy," by Sherry Turkle
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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.
As the author of a book about the modern pursuit for immortality, I’ve watched longevity tourism surge in popularity in recent years.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
With pop immortality ensured, the band cameo'd in the 1994 Flintstones movie.
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026
He may well try to answer that in his State of the Union address — if only because of his desperate desire for immortality.
From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026
A metaphor of L.A.’s past immortality and exploitation after World War II, the crime has fascinated novelists, filmmakers and countless true crime writers.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026
Where the deer nibbled, I gathered the fungus, the fungus of immortality.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
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.
