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eternal

Pronunciation: /ɪˈtəːn(ə)l, iː-/

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Definition of eternal

adjective

  • 1lasting or existing forever; without end:the secret of eternal youth fear of eternal damnation
  • (of truths, values, or questions) valid for all time; essentially unchanging:eternal truths of art and life
  • informal seeming to last or persist forever, especially on account of being tedious or annoying:eternal nagging demands she is an eternal optimist
  • 2used to emphasize expressions of admiration, gratitude, etc.:to his eternal credit, he maintained his dignity throughout
  • 3 (the Eternal) used to refer to an everlasting or universal spirit, as represented by God: a man entirely under the sway of the Eternal and not of the material

Phrases

the Eternal City

a name for the city of Rome.

eternal life

Christian Theology spiritual existence after death of the body: the belief in eternal life

eternal triangle

see triangle (sense 2).

Derivatives

eternality

Pronunciation: /ɪˌtəːˈnalɪti, iː-/

noun

eternalize

(also eternalise) verb

eternalness

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: via Old French from late Latin aeternalis, from Latin aeternus, from aevum 'age'

eternal in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of eternal in the US English dictionary

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