eternity

noun

eter·​ni·​ty i-ˈtər-nə-tē 

plural eternities

1

: the quality or state of being eternal

2

: infinite time

lasting throughout eternity

3

eternities plural : age sense 3b

4

: the state after death : immortality

5

: a seemingly endless or immeasurable time

an eternity of delays

Synonyms

• everlasting
• foreverness
• infinity
• perpetuity

Examples of eternity in a Sentence

They believed that sinners would spend eternity in hell.

We suffered through an eternity of delays during the lawsuit.

Recent Examples on the Web

Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones' heart will beat for eternity. —CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024

After what felt like an eternity to Mundell, Hampton placed River safely into the raft. —Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024

The loss of Matty and John will leave a hole in the family, with his close friends, the community for eternity. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024

Faced with the possibility of being marooned on the lunar surface for eternity — and just hours away from scheduled liftoff — the two men let NASA engineers try and solve the problem and took a five-hour nap. —Johnny Dodd, People.com, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English eternite, from Middle French eternité, from Latin aeternitat-, aeternitas, from aeternus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

eternity

noun

eter·​ni·​ty i-ˈtər-nət-ē 

plural eternities

1

: the quality or state of being eternal

2

: endless time

3

: the state after death : immortality

4

: time that seems to be endless