ENGLISH
REFERENCE

eternal

adj.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //iˈtɝnəɫ// UK //ɪtˈɜːnəl// eter·nal Archaic

adj. lasting forever or having no beginning or end. You use it to describe things that never change and never stop existing.

adj. lasting or existing forever; without beginning or end. Often used in philosophical or theological contexts to describe timeless truths or states of being.


SIMPLE

The poet promised her eternal love.

CONTEXTUAL

Many religions teach that the soul is eternal and continues to exist after the physical body dies.

COMPLEX

The philosopher argued that while physical objects are subject to decay, mathematical truths possess an eternal quality that remains unaffected by the passage of time.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English eternal, from Old French eternal, from Late Latin aeternālis, from Latin aeternus (“eternal”), from aevum (“age”). Displaced native Old English ēċe.

Usage

Typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun; often non-gradable in its literal sense.

Idioms2 entries

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