forever
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adv.for all time, without ever ending.
adv.for an infinite duration or for all eternity. Not comparable.
Simple“They promised to love each other forever during their wedding ceremony.”
In context“The ancient ruins seemed as though they would stand forever, defying the erosion of time and the elements.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
adv.a way to say something is taking much longer than you expected.
adv.used colloquially to express an excessive or seemingly infinite duration of time.
Simple“We waited forever for the bus to arrive in the rain.”
In context“The download took forever because the office network was struggling under the weight of several simultaneous updates.”
Synonymsagesan eternityAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adv.happening all the time, especially in an annoying way.
adv.continually or persistently; often used with the present continuous to express habitual or irritating actions.
Simple“He is forever losing his keys just when we need to leave.”
In context“The manager was forever complaining about the lack of resources, yet he consistently rejected every proposal for budget increases.”
UsageOften used with the present continuous tense to show annoyance.
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
adj.lasting for a long time or meant to be permanent.
adj.denoting a state of permanence or long-term commitment. Often used in specific social contexts like pet adoption.
Simple“The rescue center is looking for a forever home for this puppy.”
In context“The couple finally found their forever house, a quiet cottage far removed from the noise of the city.”
Usage forever chemicals
Univerbation of for ever, from Middle English for ever, for evere. By surface analysis, for + ever. First attested in the late 14c., and first attested in the late 17c. as one word. Noun first attested in 1858.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.