eternity

e·ter·ni·ty

Use eternity in a sentence

noun

Eternity is defined as, or seems like, an endless amount of time.

An example of eternity is the amount of time that takes place in heaven, according to the Bible.
An example of eternity is spending over an hour on hold for a customer service person.

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MLA Style

"eternity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/eternity>.

APA Style

eternity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/eternity

eternity

noun

pl. -·ties

the quality, state, or fact of being eternal; eternal existence or duration; continuance without end
infinite time; time without beginning or end
a long period of time that seems endless: an eternity of waiting
the endless time after death

Origin of eternity

Middle English eternite from Old French eternité from Classical Latin aeternitas

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Link to this page

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MLA Style

"eternity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/eternity>.

APA Style

eternity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/eternity

eternity

noun

pl. e·ter·ni·ties

Time without beginning or end; infinite time.
The state or quality of being eternal.
a. The timeless state following death.
b. The afterlife; immortality.
A very long or seemingly endless time: waited in the dentist's office for an eternity.

Origin of eternity

Middle English eternite from Old French from Latin aeternitās from aeternus eternal ; see eternal .

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"eternity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/eternity>.

APA Style

eternity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/eternity

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural eternities)

(uncountable) Existence without end, infinite time.
(uncountable, philosophy) Existence outside of time.
(countable) A period of time which extends infinitely far into the future.
(metaphysical) The remainder of time that elapses after death.
(informal, hyperbolic) A comparatively long time.
It's been an eternity since we last saw each other.

Usage notes

In the sense "a comparatively long time", eternity is always used with the indefinite article (an eternity).
In philosophy, the common use of eternity to refer to an infinite time is considered incorrect, eternity referring to existence outside of time; existence within time but of an infinite temporal duration is called everlastingness or sempiternity

Related terms

Origin

From Old French eternitez, from Latin aeternitas

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.