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.
So it would seem that all the names submitted by the Hurricanes would have required approval before being etched into immortality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Heroism’s great and all, but nothing ensures immortality like putting on a good show.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
When Vladimir Putin was captured by a hot mic telling Xi Jinping that humans could achieve immortality by replacing their organs, some dismissed the exchange as eccentric small talk between aging autocrats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
His mistake was to try to destroy a man whose greatest nemesis was himself, and that singular, burning focus of Mozart’s earned him immortality regardless of what his haters threw at him.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
"You didn't want humanity to learn the secret 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.
