- without an end; existing or continuing forever
- the promise of eternal life in heaven
- She's an eternal optimist (= she always expects that the best will happen).
- eternal truths (= ideas that are always true and never change)
- You have my eternal gratitude (= very great gratitude).
- To his eternal credit (= very great credit), he never gave up.
- Newspapers are simply responding to the eternal fascination of their readers with the private lives of the rich and famous.
Extra Examples- The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
- The story is about a woman who is offered the elixir of eternal youth.
- The two heroes swore eternal friendship.
- The universe was about to be plunged again into eternal darkness.
- [only before noun] (disapproving) happening often and seeming never to stop synonym constant
- I'm tired of your eternal arguments.
Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from late Latin aeternalis, from Latin aeternus, from aevum ‘age’.
Idioms
See eternal in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee eternal in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishhope springs eternal
- (saying) people never stop hoping
Check pronunciation:
eternal