eternal [ih-tur-nl] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for eternal on Thesaurus.com adjective
- without beginning or end; lasting forever; always existing (opposed to temporal): eternal life.
- perpetual; ceaseless; endless: eternal quarreling; eternal chatter.
- enduring; immutable: eternal principles.
- Metaphysics. existing outside all relations of time; not subject to change.
noun
- something that is eternal.
- the Eternal, God.
Origin of eternal 1350–1400; Middle English Late Latin aeternālis, equivalent to aetern(us) (see eterne) + -ālis -al1 Related formse·ter·nal·i·ty [ee-tur-nal-i-tee] /ˌi tɜrˈnæl ɪ ti/, e·ter·nal·ness, noune·ter·nal·ly, adverbnon·e·ter·nal, adjectivenon·e·ter·nal·ly, adverbnon·e·ter·nal·ness, nounpre·e·ter·nal, adjectivequa·si-e·ter·nal, adjectivequa·si-e·ter·nal·ly, adverbSynonyms for eternal See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com 1. permanent, unending. Eternal, endless, everlasting, perpetual imply lasting or going on without ceasing. That which is eternal is, by its nature, without beginning or end: God, the eternal Father. That which is endless never stops but goes on continuously as if in a circle: an endless succession of years. That which is everlasting will endure through all future time: a promise of everlasting life. Perpeptual implies continuous renewal as far into the future as one can foresee: perpetual strife between nations. 3. timeless, immortal, deathless, undying, imperishable, indestructible.Antonyms for eternal 1. transitory. 3. mutable. Related Words for eternal constant, immortal, infinite, abiding, boundless, permanent, everlasting, immutable, unceasing, indestructible, never-ending, unending, enduring, unremitting, continual, interminable, perennial, perpetual, timeless, relentless Examples from the Web for eternal Contemporary Examples of eternal
The speaker conjures up centuries of collective sagacity, aligning oneself with an eternal, inarguable good.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They’re Dead
Luke O’Neil
January 8, 2015
He stated—quite rightly—that animals are never mentioned in connection with eternal life in the Bible.
Sorry, Internet: Pope Francis Didn’t Open Paradise to Pets
Candida Moss
December 14, 2014
In 2008 then Pope Benedict XVI stated quite pointedly that animals are “not called to the eternal life.”
Sorry, Internet: Pope Francis Didn’t Open Paradise to Pets
Candida Moss
December 14, 2014
What had seemed immutable and eternal (“With the Soviet Union forever”) turned out to be a fleeting episode.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution
Michael Zantovsky
December 6, 2014
It may also have left them somewhat untethered, drifting in between their own lives and the eternal mysteries.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun
Katie Baker
November 8, 2014
Historical Examples of eternal
Under the eternal urge of freedom we became an independent Nation.
United States Presidents’ Inaugural Speeches
Various
This is the eternal agreement, but an agreement of which we find it difficult to accept the terms.
Basil King
The preacher was trying to explain to us the eternal duration of God’s punishment.
Basil King
They seemed to rise from some eternal deep within her, yet not to be of her making.
George MacDonald
But Amy was the wife of Cornelius, and that made an eternal difference.
George MacDonald
British Dictionary definitions for eternal eternal adjective
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- without beginning or end; lasting for evereternal life
- (as noun)the eternal
- (often capital) denoting or relating to that which is without beginning and end, regarded as an attribute of God
- unchanged by time, esp being true or valid for all time; immutableeternal truths
- seemingly unceasing; occurring again and againeternal bickering
Derived Formseternality or eternalness, nouneternally, adverbWord Origin for eternal C14: from Late Latin aeternālis, from Latin aeternus; related to Latin aevum age Word Origin and History for eternal adj.
late 14c., from Old French eternel or directly from Late Latin aeternalis, from Latin aeternus “of an age, lasting, enduring, permanent, endless,” contraction of aeviternus “of great age,” from aevum “age” (see eon). Related: Eternally.