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afterlife

American  
[af-ter-lahyf, ahf-] / ˈæf tərˌlaɪf, ˈɑf- /

noun

  1. Also called future life.  life after death.

  2. the later part of a person's life.

    the remarkably productive afterlife of Thomas Jefferson.


afterlife British  
/ ˈɑːftəˌlaɪf /

noun

  1. life after death or at a later time in a person's lifetime

"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

Etymology

Origin of afterlife

First recorded in 1585–95; after + life

Explanation

Afterlife is a noun describing the state of being after one’s death. Many cultures and religions have a concept of an afterlife. Otherwise, much of humanity would be quite uneasy. In Eastern religions, there is a notion of “karma” or even of “nirvana,” where, after a person dies, reincarnation takes the soul to a more elevated form of life. The Judeo-Christian tradition trusts in “heaven”; the ancient Egyptians buried precious belongings with their dead to accompany them to the afterlife. Regardless of origin, most religions want people to believe that life doesn't stop when your pulse does.

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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.

Danny DeVito’s brief appearance as a dead janitor in the Afterlife involved green face paint, false teeth and colored contact lenses that prevented him from walking around on his own, Blundell said.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024

Miller, author of “Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration,” thought “Oh, what’s the bad news now?”

From Washington Post • Oct. 12, 2022

Pandemic delays caused a wider-than-expected gap between our first peek at Ghostbusters: Afterlife and when it actually came to theaters, but Sony is setting up a tighter schedule for the follow-up.

From The Verge • Jun. 28, 2022

The authority said the bench was donated to the park in January via the Ricky Gervais show Afterlife.

From BBC • May 23, 2022

Plant an Afterlife garden, fighting to grow something in a realm of destroyers?

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

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