immortality
AmericanEtymology
Origin of immortality
1300–50; Middle English immortalite < Latin immortālitās. See immortal, -ity
Explanation
If you achieve immortality that means you’ll live forever. If you find a magic potion, maybe you can literally live forever. Otherwise you’ll have to gain immortality by doing something so great that people never forget you. You may believe immortality can be achieved if you drink enough carrot juice, but so far humans haven’t figured out the secret to living forever. Instead, you’ll often hear immortality used to in relation to magnificent accomplishments. You may gain immortality by painting great works of art, like Michelangelo, or by being a great slugger, like Babe Ruth. The achievements live on, and the fame keeps your memory alive, forever! Or at least for a really long time.
Vocabulary lists containing immortality
American Born Chinese
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"Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson
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Vocabulary from "There Will Never Be an Age of Artificial Intimacy," by Sherry Turkle
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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.
But he’ll always have the memes, which, although premised on his past work, actually catapulted his name to a level of immortality that his filmography alone never could.
From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026
He may well try to answer that in his State of the Union address — if only because of his desperate desire for immortality.
From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026
He is one of the few people of his age equipped to recognize the scale of Mozart’s achievement, but the fragility of his ego and his obsession with music immortality stand in his way.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
"Fela has been an ancestor for 28 years. His legacy is growing by the day. This is immortality," Ghariokwu tells the BBC, welcoming the posthumous award.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026
I was still trying to get my head around the fact Mo had found the flower of immortality.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
