anicca

American

[uh-nik-uh] / əˈnɪk ə /

noun

Buddhism.

the cycle of birth, growth, decay, and death through which every living thing must pass.

anicca British

/ ˈænikə /

noun

(in Theravada Buddhism) the belief that all things, including the self, are impermanent and constantly changing: the first of the three basic characteristics of existence Compare anata dukkha

"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 anicca

< Pali < Sanskrit anitya not everlasting, equivalent to a- a- ⁶ + nitya eternal

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.

In Buddhism, anicca is one of the three signs of existence, the others being dukkha, or suffering, and anatta, or non-selfhood.

From Time

Anicca, or impermanence, they call it.

From Time

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023