infinity

American  

[in-fin-i-tee] / ɪnˈfɪn ɪ ti /

noun

infinities plural

1. the quality or state of being infinite.

2. something that is infinite.

3. infinite space, time, or quantity.

4. an infinite extent, amount, or number.

5. an indefinitely great amount or number.

6. Mathematics.

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

   2. infinite distance or an infinitely distant part of space.

7. Photography.

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

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

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infinity British  

/ ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being infinite

2. endless time, space, or quantity

3. an infinitely or indefinitely great number or amount

4. 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

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

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

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

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infinity Scientific  

/ ĭn-fĭn′ĭ-tē /

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

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Usage

What is the infinity symbol? The infinity symbol, a figure eight on its side ∞, variously signifies the concept of limitlessness or eternity, especially as used notationally in mathematics and metaphorically with respect to love.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• infinities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of infinity

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English infinite, from Latin infīnitās, from in- in- ³ + fīni(s) “boundary, end, highest point” ( see finish) + -tās -ty ²

Explanation

Infinity is forever. You might hope that your relationship with your high school boyfriend will last into infinity, but, realistically, you know that's not likely to happen. You've probably come across infinity in mathematics — a number, like pi, for instance, that goes on and on, symbolized as ∞. Astronomers talk about the infinity of the universe, and religions describe God as infinity. A more earthbound example is an infinity pool — a swimming pool designed to trick the eye and look like it doesn't have an edge, so the water goes on forever. You may know the Latin phrase ad infinitum, which means "and on and on."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

infinity infinities

The 3.6-acre estate features a wading pool and an infinity pool that are connected by a lazy river.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

They admired the architecture and the infinity screen and the way the canopy kept things cool.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that could be heard from infinity and beyond.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

In fact, calculations suggest the cosmological constant should be extraordinarily large, effectively approaching infinity.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

The north pole becomes the south pole and the south pole becomes the north pole: zero becomes infinity and infinity becomes zero.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Scientists have long struggled to unite the two because the equations often spiral into mathematical infinities when gravity is included at quantum scales.

From Science Daily ● May 19, 2026

Brian and Robin consider the mind-bending idea of multiple infinities.

From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2024

Conversely, however, you could postulate that there are other infinities between the cardinality of the natural and real numbers—and encounter no problems either.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 13, 2023

After more than three centuries of effort, the Fermat infinities had finally been surmounted, and civilization, amazingly, was still intact.

From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2022

Yet Zeno’s paradox was so powerful that the Greeks tried over and over to explain away his infinities.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife