What does eternity mean?
Word: Eternity
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Eternity means time that never ends; also a very long time, as when waiting seems to go on for ever.
Synonyms: forever, infinity, ages
How do you spell eternity?
Syllables: e - ter - ni - ty
Tricky part: The vowel after the n is said weakly, so students write eternaty or eternety. It is an i, as in unity.
Watch out for: eternaty, eternety, etirnity
Memory tip: Infinity and eternity both mean something without end, and both finish with the same four letters, nity.
Eternity in a sentence
Example 1: The ten minutes before my result was announced felt like an eternity.
Example 2: The old stone fort looks as if it has stood there for an eternity.
Example 3: The poet wrote that true friendship should last for all eternity.
Fun Fact
Artists have long shown eternity as a snake swallowing its own tail, a symbol called the ouroboros, because a circle has no beginning and no end.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. millenium 2. century 3. eternity 4. decade
a) time that goes on with no end
b) a period of one hundred years
c) a period of a thousand years
d) a period of ten years
Show answer
c) a period of a thousand years. Millenium needs a double n in the middle; the other three words have no slip.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word eternity as used in the sentence:
We sat in the station waiting room for what seemed like an eternity before the train came in.
a) a lifetime
b) a decade
c) a century
d) an instant
Show answer
d) an instant. A wait that seems endless is the far end of the scale from an instant, which is over almost before it starts.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
e_e_nity
a) d, r
b) t, n
c) t, r
d) t, l
Show answer
c) t, r. Eternity begins with e-ter, a plain t and then an r, the same start as in term.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Grandpa grumbled that the road repairs would take an eternity, yet the contracter finished the whole job in less than a month.
a) eternity
b) repairs
c) month
d) contracter
Show answer
d) contracter. Contracter should end in or, like doctor; eternity, repairs and month are all correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The phrase 'it took an eternity' is usually said by someone who ____.
a) finished very early
b) did not have to wait
c) enjoyed every second
d) found the wait very long
Show answer
d) found the wait very long
2. An eternity ring has stones set all the way round the band. The unbroken circle stands for ____.
a) a year of marriage
b) love that never ends
c) a family's wealth
d) a lucky birthday
Show answer
b) love that never ends
