What does "eternity" mean?
Existence without end, infinite time.
Eternity
/ɪˈtɝnɪti/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Existence without end, infinite time.
- Grammar: eternity is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ages, perpetuity, timelessness, a better place.
- Useful contrasts: single moment, just a moment, blink.
- Usage evidence: There will always be things I will never learn, I don't have eternity before me!
How to use "eternity"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "eternity" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "eternity" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "eternity" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "eternity" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "eternity" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ages" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "eternity", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Existence without end, infinite time. uncountable
"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."
- 2 a state of eternal existence believed in some religions to characterize the afterlife wordnet
- 3 Existence outside of time. uncountable
"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."
- 4 time without end wordnet
- 5 A period of time which extends infinitely far into the future. countable
"Every niche was filled by a funeral urn, and by marble shapes that bent down in a pale eternity of sorrow."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a seemingly endless time interval (waiting) wordnet
- 7 The remainder of time that elapses after death. countable, uncountable
"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.’"
- 8 A comparatively long time. countable, excessive, informal, uncountable
"It's been an eternity since we last saw each other."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"There will always be things I will never learn, I don't have eternity before me!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "eternity"?
Common synonyms include: ages, perpetuity, timelessness, a better place, a lifetime, aeon.
How do you use "eternity" in a sentence?
There will always be things I will never learn, I don't have eternity before me!
How do you pronounce "eternity"?
Pronounced /ɪˈtɝnɪti/.
Etymology
From Middle English eternyte, from Old French eternité, from Latin aeternitās. Displaced native Old English ēcnes.