Dictionary

eternity en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• (Mid-Atlantic, US) audio
• /ɪˈtɜːnɪti/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɪ-/ (General-American)
• /əˈtɜɹnəti/ (General-American)
• [-ɾi] (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English eternyte, from Old French eternité, from Latin aeternitās. Displaced native Old English ēcnes.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Existence without end, infinite time.
   • Eternity has generally been considered as divisible into two parts; which have been termed, eternity a parte ante, and eternity a parte post: that is, in plain English, that eternity which is past, and that eternity which is to come. 1829, John Wesley, Sermons on Several Occasions, 10th edition, volume 2, Sermon LVIII: On the Eternity of God, page 1:
   • Those who like not the company of the saints on earth will get none of it in eternity; but, as godless company is their delight now, they will afterwards get enough of it, when they have eternity to pass in the roaring and blaspheming society of devils and reprobates in hell. 2000, Thomas Boston, Human Nature in Its Fourfold State, page 247:
   • This theory regards creation as an act of God in eternity past. 1886, Augustus Hopkins Strong, Systematic Theology: a Compendium and Commonplace-book Designed for the Use of Theological Students, page 190:
2. (uncountable) Existence outside of time.
   • We sometimes speak of eternity in contradistinction to time; and often say, "through time and into eternity;" and again "from eternity to eternity," which is simply another form of expressing the same idea, and "pass through time into eternity." in other words, time is a short period allotted to man in his probationary state—and we use the word time in contradistinction to the word eternity, merely for the accommodation of man in his finite sphere, that we may comprehend and learn to measure periods. 1879, Erastus Snow, “Rest Signifies Change, etc.”, in Brigham Young, editor, Journal of Discourses, volume 21, published 1881:
3. (countable) A period of time which extends infinitely far into the future.
   • No limit / Not none that I can see / No limit / Not one, not one / Not one for you or me / No limit / Well, it can go until eternity, yeah / No limits to our love, girl 1978, Breakwater, “No Limit”, in Breakwater:
   • Every niche was filled by a funeral urn, and by marble shapes that bent down in a pale eternity of sorrow. 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Marriage”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 220:
4. (countable, qualifier:metaphysics, uncountable) The remainder of time that elapses after death.
   • When the wind blows not, where, then, is the wind? / Or when thou art not living, where art thou? / What should the wind care for the hours of calm or thou for death? / Thy life is long, Eternity is short. / So short that, shouldst thou die and Eternity should pass, and after the passing of Eternity thou shouldst live again, thou wouldst say: ‘I closed mine eyes but for an instant.’ 1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], “Pegāna”, in The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC, pages 75–76:
5. (countable, excessive, informal, uncountable) A comparatively long time.
   • It's been an eternity since we last saw each other.
   • I had to wait in the station for ten days - an eternity. 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 208:

Forms

Antonyms

sempiternity (antonym(s) of “existence outside of time”) · moment

Deriveds

for all of eternity · supereternity · eternity ring · eternitarian · preeternity · eternity plant · coeternity · noneternity · eternity past · eternity collar · posteternity · eternity future

Hyponyms

immortality

Meronyms

the future · the present · the past

Relateds

endlessness · forever · eternalize · eternal · eternize

Synonyms

ages · yonks · eternity · afterlife (remainder of time that elapses after death) · a lifetime · all time (infinite time) · eternal now · centuries · extratemporality · foreverhood (time extending infinitely far into the future) · foreverness · hours · perpetuity · alwaysness · donkey's years · evermore (time extending infinitely far into the future) · forever (time extending infinitely far into the future) · an age (comparatively long time) · eternality · atemporality (existence outside of time) · years

Translations (143)

pl wieczność (infinite time) · az daimlik (infinite time) · got 𐌰𐌾𐌿𐌺𐌳𐌿𐌸𐍃 (infinite time) · pl wieczność (informal: a comparatively long time) · sh zauvijek (time extending infinitely far into the future) · lv mūžība (infinite time) · pl wieczność (time extending infinitely far into the future) · ru ве́чность (informal: a comparatively long time) · sh večnost (infinite time) · gd sìorraidheachd (time extending infinitely far into the future) · ro eternitate (informal: a comparatively long time) · sh вечност (infinite time) · tg ҷовидонӣ (infinite time) · mi mutungakore (infinite time) · ru ве́чность (time extending infinitely far into the future) · cs věčnost (informal: a comparatively long time) · uk ві́чність (time extending infinitely far into the future) · cs věčnost (time extending infinitely far into the future) · ja 永遠 (infinite time) · ja とわ (infinite time) · ug مەڭگۈلۈك (infinite time) · tg абадият (infinite time) · fi ikuisuus (infinite time) · el αιωνιότης (infinite time) · et igavik (infinite time) · gl eternidade (infinite time) · gd sìorraidheachd (infinite time) · fi iäisyys (informal: a comparatively long time) · cs věčnost (period of time that elapses after death) · cmn 來世 /来世 (period of time that elapses after death) · fr éternité (informal: a comparatively long time) · sk večnosť (infinite time) · gl eternidade (informal: a comparatively long time) · pdt Eewichkjeit (infinite time) · de Ewigkeit (time extending infinitely far into the future) · ang ēcnes (infinite time) · fr éternité (period of time that elapses after death) · pt eternidade (infinite time) · uk ві́чність (infinite time) · it eternità (time extending infinitely far into the future) · nb evighet (infinite time) · pt eternidade (informal: a comparatively long time) · sh вјечност (infinite time) · haw wā pau ʻole (infinite time) · it eternità (informal: a comparatively long time) · fr éternité (time extending infinitely far into the future) · fi iäisyys (period of time that elapses after death) · tl walang-hanggan (infinite time) · az əbədilik (infinite time) · az sonsuzluq (infinite time) · bg задгробен живот (period of time that elapses after death) · de Ewigkeit (infinite time) · el αϊδιότης (infinite time) · alt мӧҥкӱлик (infinite time) · pt eternidade (time extending infinitely far into the future) · cs věčnost (infinite time) · nl eeuwigheid (time extending infinitely far into the future) · fa همیشگی (infinite time) · cmn 永恆 /永恒 (time extending infinitely far into the future) · ro eternitate (time extending infinitely far into the future) · lt amžinybė (period of time that elapses after death) · sh zagrobni život (period of time that elapses after death) · km អនន្តភាព (infinite time) · fi ikuisuus (informal: a comparatively long time) · sh beskraj (informal: a comparatively long time) · pl wieczność (period of time that elapses after death) · kk жойылмаушылық (infinite time) · ja 永久 (infinite time) · hy հավիտենություն (infinite time) · ru ве́чность (period of time that elapses after death) · ky маңгилик (infinite time) · chr ᎢᎪᎯᏓ (infinite time) · ru ве́чность (infinite time) · lt amžinybė (infinite time) · ro veșnicie (time extending infinitely far into the future) · he נֵצַח (infinite time) · fa جاودان (infinite time) · de Ewigkeit (informal: a comparatively long time) · el αϊδιότητα (infinite time) · gd sìorraidheachd (period of time that elapses after death) · ba мәңгелек (infinite time) · grc αἰωνιότης (infinite time) · be ве́чнасць (infinite time) · sl večnost (infinite time) · hy հավերժություն (infinite time) · is eilífð (time extending infinitely far into the future) · got 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (infinite time) · ko 영원 (infinite time) · fr éternité (infinite time) · bg ве́чност (infinite time) · gd sìorraidheachd (informal: a comparatively long time) · ca eternitat (infinite time) · tr sonsuzluk (infinite time) · pt eternidade (period of time that elapses after death) · cmn 無終止 /无终止 (informal: a comparatively long time) · fa ابدیت (time extending infinitely far into the future) · la aeternitas (infinite time) · is eilífð (informal: a comparatively long time) · he נצח (period of time that elapses after death) · ba мәңгелек (period of time that elapses after death) · he נצח (informal: a comparatively long time) · mk вечност (infinite time) · gl eternidade (period of time that elapses after death) · nl eeuwigheid (infinite time) · ka მარადისობა (infinite time) · fi ikuisuus (time extending infinitely far into the future) · ar أَبَد (infinite time) · bg ве́чност (time extending infinitely far into the future) · es eternidad (infinite time) · ro eternitate (period of time that elapses after death) · ln libélá (infinite time) · fa ابد (infinite time) · sh vječnost (infinite time) · eo eterno (infinite time) · ro veșnicie (infinite time) · it eternità (infinite time) · ba мәңгелек (time extending infinitely far into the future) · eo eterneco (infinite time) · ceb kahangtoran (infinite time) · sv evighet (infinite time) · hu örökkévalóság (infinite time) · it eternità (period of time that elapses after death) · be ве́чнасць (time extending infinitely far into the future) · yo ayérayé (infinite time) · nl eeuwigheid (informal: a comparatively long time) · fo ævinleiki (infinite time) · tg ҳамешагӣ (infinite time) · fo ævi (infinite time) · da evighed (infinite time) · ar أبَدِيَّة (time extending infinitely far into the future) · gl eternidade (time extending infinitely far into the future) · is eilífð (infinite time) · cmn 永遠 /永远 (infinite time) · de Ewigkeit (period of time that elapses after death) · ko 영구 (infinite time) · he נֵצַח (time extending infinitely far into the future) · kum даимлик (infinite time) · cmn 永遠 /永远 (time extending infinitely far into the future) · is eilífð (period of time that elapses after death) · nl de eeuwigheid (period of time that elapses after death) · ro eternitate (infinite time) · vo laidüp (infinite time) · haw au pau ʻole (infinite time)

wikidata: Q138045