eternity

American  

[ih-tur-ni-tee] / ɪˈtɜr nɪ ti /

noun

plural

eternities

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

• noneternity noun
• preeternity noun

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

After what seemed like an eternity of tortured reflection, Nakamura stumbled right into Sindarov’s trap.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Stylists also have to get creative when things go wrong — and to make sure the cameras don’t capture a bad moment for eternity.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

That’s an eternity in the fast-moving industry and the company has seen the capabilities of its technology outstripped by Google’s Gemini, OpenAI’s GPT and Anthropic’s Claude since then.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

There’s this youthful eternity that you’re in pursuit of.”

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

I considered her words and wondered why someone would willingly punish herself for all eternity.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall