eternity

eternity — noun

1. time that continues forever, with no beginning or end

1.nounB1
Definition

time that continues forever, with no beginning or end

Example

Tariro stared at the stars from the mountain cabin, feeling she was gazing into eternity itself.

gazing into eternity — visual use with preposition 'into'

Gabriel touched the ancient stone wall and wondered how many centuries of eternity it had witnessed.

centuries of eternity — collocation pairing finite and infinite spans

Common collocations
  • the idea of eternity
  • the nature of eternity
  • a concept of eternity
  • a symbol of eternity
Synonyms
  • infinity

    mathematical/philosophical term; slightly broader in scope

  • perpetuity

    formal, frequent in legal contexts ('in perpetuity')

  • timelessness

    emphasises the absence of time rather than endless duration

Antonyms
  • moment

    an extremely short point in time

  • instant

    a single, brief point in time

Grammar Patterns

uncountable: eternity (as an abstract concept)

Usage Note

Common in philosophical, religious, and scientific writing about the nature of time. Distinguish from sense 2 (VERY LONG PERIOD), which expresses a subjective feeling rather than true endlessness.

Common Mistakes

The meeting lasted an eternity' (when you mean it felt long).
The meeting felt like an eternity.
Use sense 2 for subjective duration; sense 1 refers to literal time without end.

2. a period that feels far longer than it really is, particularly while you are wai

2.nounB1
Definition

a period that feels far longer than it really is, particularly while you are waiting or feeling bored

Example

Trang felt she had been waiting for an eternity before the doctor called her name.

wait for an eternity — common collocation

The two-hour meeting felt like an eternity to everyone in the room.

feel like an eternity — common pattern

Common collocations
  • wait for an eternity
  • feel like an eternity
  • take an eternity
  • an eternity of waiting
Synonyms
  • ages

    informal; 'I haven't seen you in ages!'

  • forever

    adverb, very common in everyday speech

  • yonks

    British informal; 'I haven't been there for yonks'

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

an + eternity

for + an + eternity

like + an + eternity

take + an + eternity + to-infinitive

Usage Note

This is a deliberate exaggeration (hyperbole) used in everyday speech. It does not refer to actual endless time — only to a period that felt very long, usually because of waiting, boredom, or discomfort.

Common Mistakes

The train was an eternity late.
The train seemed to take an eternity to arrive.
'eternity' is a noun, not an adjective. Use 'an eternity' with verbs like 'take' or 'feel like'.

3. the endless existence of the soul or spirit that some religions teach continues

3.nounB2
Definition

the endless existence of the soul or spirit that some religions teach continues after a person dies

Example

Diya knelt beside her grandfather's grave and said his soul had passed into eternity.

pass into eternity — religious collocation for death or afterlife

Asher hoped to be reunited with his grandmother in eternity someday.

in eternity — prepositional phrase for afterlife setting

Common collocations
  • pass into eternity
  • journey into eternity
  • in eternity
  • life in eternity
  • a soul in eternity
Synonyms
  • afterlife

    the most common neutral term for existence after death

  • immortality

    emphasises living forever rather than just the post-death state

  • heaven

    more specific; refers to a pleasant afterlife in several religions

Antonyms
  • mortality

    the condition of being subject to death

  • death

    the end of physical life

Grammar Patterns

uncountable: in eternity

pass into eternity

journey into eternity

Usage Note

Used primarily in religious or spiritual contexts. This sense assumes a belief that the soul or consciousness continues after physical death. Distinguish from sense 1 (INFINITE TIME), which refers to time itself rather than a personal afterlife.

Word family

  • eternal
    adjectiveB1
  • eternally
    adverbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Eternity and infinity both refer to something without end, but eternity is about time, while infinity is broader and can describe space, numbers, or quantities. Perpetuity is a formal term used mainly in legal or contractual contexts, such as a lease lasting 'in perpetuity'. Timelessness shifts the focus: it suggests something that is not affected by time at all, rather than something that lasts forever. For example, a piece of music can feel timeless without being eternal. In everyday language, eternity is the most common choice for endless time, whereas infinity often appears in mathematics and physics.

eternity ↗infinity ↗perpetuitytimelessness

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the concept of eternity
  • the nature of eternity
  • a symbol of eternity
  • an eternity of waiting

Adverbs

  • for all eternity
  • throughout eternity

Phrases

  • for an eternity
  • feel like an eternity
  • take an eternity

Prepositions

  • for an eternity
  • in eternity
  • into eternity
  • through eternity

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Eternity entered English through Old French 'eternité', which came from Latin 'aeternitas', meaning 'endless time'. The Latin root 'aeternus' (everlasting) was built from 'aevum' (age, lifetime) — the same root that gives us 'medieval' and 'longevity'. The idea of time without limits has been at the core of the word since its earliest use in English around the 1300s.