posterity Hear it!

posterity Definition

pos·ter·ity (päs ter′ə tē)

noun

  1. all of a person's descendants
  2. all succeeding generations

Etymology: ME posterite < MFr postérité < L posteritas < posterus: see posterior

posterity Synonyms

posterity

n.

progeny, descendants, seed, breed, children, issue, heirs, rising generation, new generation, younger generation, successors, lineage, future time; see also family 1, offspring.

posterity Usage Examples

Converse of subject

  • judge: We may forgive posterity for the paucity of information left to us, but we ourselves shall not be judged so lightly by posterity.
  • read: Malta's bright story of human fortitude and courage will be read by posterity with wonder and with gratitude through all the ages.

Converse of object

  • leave: Leaving no posterity, ' Twas not their infirmity, It was married chastity.
  • let: Let not Posterity be surprised that this register is not complete.
  • reach: But before we reach posterity we must survive the present.

Adjective modifier

  • future: Burns, then, clearly did his bit to preserve Scotland's heritage, not to mention language, for future posterity.
  • thy: Regions Caesar never knew Thy posterity shall sway, Where his eagles never flew, None invincible as they.

Modifies a noun

  • record: Posterity records only one example of a politician escaping with some credibility intact.
posterity Quotes

What,Mr Speaker! and sowearetobeggarourselvesfor fear of vexing posterity! Now, I would ask the honourable gentleman, and still more honourable House, why should we put ourselves out of our way to doanything for posterity; for what has posterity done for us? SeeAddison 7:40.

—Roche, Sir Boyle

In all museums throughout the world one may see plaster casts of footprints of weird animals, footprints preserved for posterity, not because the animals were particularly good of their sort, but because they had the luck to walkon the lava while it was cooling. There is just a faint hope that something of the same sort may happen to us.

—Paterson, Banjo (Andrew Barton)

The love of posterity is a consequence of the necessity of death. If a man were sure of living forever here, he would not care about his offspring.

—Hawthorne, Nathaniel

People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.

—Burke, Edmund

: If we beat the King ninety-nine times, yet he is King still so will his posterity be after him; but if the King beat us once we shall be hanged, and our posterity made slaves. : My Lord, if this be so, why did we take up arms at first? This is against fighting hereafter. If so, let us make peace, be it never so base.

—Cromwell, Oliver

'We are always doing,'says he,'something for Posterity, but I would fain see Posterity do something for us.'

—Addison,Joseph

I will not go down to posterity talking bad grammar.

—Disraeli, Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield

Posterity will do justice to that unprincipled maniac Gladstoneöan extraordinary mixture of envy, vindictiveness, hypocrisyand superstition and with one commanding characteristic.Whether Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition, whether preaching, praying, speechifying, or scribblingöneveragentleman.Heisso vain that he wants to figure in history as the settler of all the great questions; but a parliamentary Constitution is not favourable to such ambitions. Things must be done by parties, not by persons using parties as tools.

—Disraeli, Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield

Cover your assöthe bureaucrat's method of protecting his posterior from posterity.

—Safire,William

Religion Caesar never knew Thy posterity shall sway, Where his eagles never flew, None as invincible as they.

—Cowper,William

To evoke posterity Is to weep on your own grave, Ventriloquizing for the unborn.

—Graves, Robert von Ranke

C'est l'actuel qui compte. Invoquer sa poste¤  rite¤  , c'est faire un discours aux asticots. It isthepresentthatcounts.To invoke one'sposterity isto make a speech to maggots.

—Destouches

TheYouth of a Nation are the trustees of Posterity.

—Disraeli, Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield