noun
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the condition or quality of being final or settled; conclusiveness
the finality of death
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a final or conclusive act
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metaphysics the doctrine of the efficacy of final causes Compare teleology
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of finality
Explanation
Finality is the absolute, definite end. People often speak of the finality of death — nothing comes after it and nothing that came before it can be changed. If someone speaks with absolute finality, he is not going to change his mind. The sound of a judge's gavel slamming down gives a sense of finality to his or her judgment. Because of its association with death and closure, finality often carries a somber undertone. It can also be used in conjunction with the end of a sports season. But even the finality of the seventh game of a classic World Series is usually forgotten by the time spring training rolls around.
Vocabulary lists containing finality
The Haunting of Hill House
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Bunnicula
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X: A Novel
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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.
See Examples For:
But I think we’re close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up because you also need finality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
The immediate aftermath of Susan Collins’ 2020 win had an air of finality to it.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
Powell called the move a pressure tactic designed to erode the Fed's independence, and vowed to stay on until the investigation was concluded "with transparency and finality."
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
"I've said that I will not leave the board until this investigation is well and truly over with transparency and finality, and I stand by that," he added.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
It was not that she wanted to soothe Baby; it was that, day after day, she found herself rejecting the finality of Ugwu’s death.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Heroic pronouncements, grandiose, soul-satisfying finalities, were not his style.
From Time Magazine Archive
Far from an ideal of Norman Rockwell hominess, Lake Wobegon reverberates with terror and finalities.
From Time Magazine Archive
When Italy last September heard of your movement we realized that, though different in method, our two revolutions had the same finalities.
From Time Magazine Archive
The letter went on to discuss a few finalities involving insurance and Mr. Kaiserman and to explain that Reggie’s file could be expunged and the court records sealed.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
This is not a world for finalities of any kind, as he constantly teaches us: it is a world of broken arcs, not of perfect rounds.
From An Introduction to the Study of Robert Browning's Poetry by Corson, Hiram
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
