immortal
Americanadjective
-
not mortal; not liable or subject to death; undying.
our immortal souls.
-
remembered or celebrated through all time.
the immortal words of Lincoln.
-
not liable to perish or decay; imperishable; everlasting.
-
perpetual; lasting; constant.
an immortal enemy.
-
of or relating to immortal beings or immortality.
-
(of a laboratory-cultured cell line) capable of dividing indefinitely.
adjective
-
not subject to death or decay; having perpetual life
-
having everlasting fame; remembered throughout time
-
everlasting; perpetual; constant
-
of or relating to immortal beings or concepts
noun
-
an immortal being
-
(often plural) a person who is remembered enduringly, esp an author
Dante is one of the immortals
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of immortal
1325–75; Middle English (adj.) < Latin immortālis. See im- 2, mortal
Explanation
Immortal describes what will never die. Do you like vampires? Those blood-suckers are immortal, and will live forever — except, of course, if you drive a stake through their heart. The word immortal can refer a supernatural being who is worshipped by others, or is a divinity or God in human form, like the gods of Greek and Roman mythology. Immortal can also mean "a person whose fame lasts for many years." If you're a sports legend or a well-known author, you may be remembered as an immortal in your field. Immortal comes from the Old French word immortalité, meaning "deathlessness."
Vocabulary lists containing immortal
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act II
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Young people think they are immortal and indestructible.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
When Lestat is made to reckon with what’s presented as “failures” in both his mortal and immortal lives, he can’t quite own up to being a true monster, because that’s not what he really is.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the Catholic view, humans, uniquely, are creatures made in God’s image and likeness—endowed by him with rational, free, immortal souls and the capacity to love him and each other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
There is nothing like the wonder of your first World Cup - the misty-eyed nostalgia of youth, summers that seemed to last forever, the gargantuan stars you believed were immortal.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
This was exceedingly hard to do, because one of the heads was immortal and the others almost as bad, inasmuch as when Hercules chopped off one, two grew up instead.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Then Kent predicted that Baker will return next year to take his place among baseball’s immortals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Not about Messi's place among football's immortals, but about whether, for the remainder of this World Cup, somebody else should be taking penalties during normal play.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Alexander Pope’s early 18th-century translation of the story of Odysseus calls the hero Ulysses and favors Roman names for the immortals of Olympus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Recently, however, Dia has been adding to its pantheon of immortals with the aim of increasing the representation of women and artists of color.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
It seemed weird calling a teenager “sir,” but I’d learned to be careful with immortals.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
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.
