Eternal

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)nÉ™l

Alternative forms

• æternal chiefly archaic
• æternall obsolete
• eternall obsolete

Origin

From Old French eternal, from Late Latin aeternalis, from Latin aeternus ("eternal"), from aevum ("age").

Full definition of eternal

Adjective

1. Lasting forever; unending.
• John Locketo know whether there were any real being, whose duration has been eternal
• DrydenFires eternal in thy temple shine.
• 2012, May 27, Nathan Rabin, TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992), In a bid to understand the eternal mystery that is woman, Bart goes to the least qualified possible source for advice and counsel: his father, who remarkably seems to have made it to his mid-30s without quite figuring out much of anything.
2. (philosophy) existing outside time; as opposed to sempiternal, existing within time but everlastingly
3. (dated) Exceedingly great or bad; used as an intensifier.some eternal villain

Synonyms

• (lasting forever; unending) permanent, sempiternal, endless, everlasting
• (existing outside time) timeless, atemporal

Antonyms

• ephemeral
• sempiternal

Derived terms

Anagrams

• enteral, teneral