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

An eternity clause prevents key articles of its constitution protecting human dignity, democracy and the rule of law from ever being amended, no matter which party is in power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 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

“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

There is only a block, and all of eternity exists atemporally within it.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026

The walls of the trench we were moving through had dropped, and the view beyond stretched for an eternity.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

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

Nabokov wrote: “The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.”

From New York Times ● May 1, 2016

Alabama doesn’t do eternities anymore under Saban, and by Saturday, sitting at a round table during media day, sophomore J.C.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 10, 2016

She stares at him for a few seconds that feel like eternities, then blinks a few times and seems to come back to herself.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone