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.
Argentina are one win away from sporting immortality.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
They are two wins away from immortality, and the fact it is Argentina we face again first just adds more spice to an already incredible occasion.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
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
They told the students that they would begin with a text as old as the Han empire, when the prescription for immortality had not yet been lost.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
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.
