What does everlasting mean?
Word: Everlasting
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Everlasting means lasting for ever, or for so long that it seems never to end.
Synonyms: endless, undying
Antonyms: temporary, short-lived
How do you spell everlasting?
Syllables: ev - er - last - ing
Tricky part: The second syllable is a weak 'uh' sound in quick speech, but it is spelt er. Evarlasting and evrlasting are the usual slips.
Watch out for: evarlasting, evrlasting, everlesting
Memory tip: When you practise, say the second syllable as a clear 'er', as in her, so the e and the r both stay on the page.
Everlasting in a sentence
Example 1: The children promised each other everlasting friendship on the last day of Class 5.
Example 2: Nothing made of paper is everlasting, so we laminated the class photo.
Example 3: The old fort's walls looked everlasting, though they were built more than four hundred years ago.
Fun Fact
Everlasting is also the name of a group of flowers, often called everlastings, whose papery petals keep their shape and colour long after they are dried.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The ancient banyan tree in the school courtyard seemed everlastting to the villagers, who had known it all their lives.
a) ancient
b) villagers
c) courtyard
d) everlastting
Show answer
d) everlastting. Last keeps a single t when ing is added, so the word is everlasting.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
The poet wrote of the rnaetelsgvi snows on the highest peaks of the Himalayas.
a) glistening
b) everlasting
c) startling
d) interesting
Show answer
b) everlasting. The v in the jumble rules out interesting, glistening and startling, none of which has one.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word everlasting as used in the sentence:
Grandpa says his love for old film songs is everlasting.
a) eternal
b) fleeting
c) sudden
d) occasional
Show answer
a) eternal. Grandpa's love never fades, and eternal also means without end.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. everlasting 2. evergreen 3. ancient 4. momentery
a) belonging to the very distant past
b) a plant that keeps its leaves all year round
c) lasting for only a very short time
d) going on without ever coming to an end
Show answer
c) lasting for only a very short time. Momentary ends in -ary; everlasting, evergreen and ancient are all spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these could a poet fairly call everlasting?
a) a single soap bubble
b) a melting ice lolly
c) a flash of lightning
d) the stars in the night sky
Show answer
d) the stars in the night sky
2. In which sentence is everlasting used sensibly?
a) The everlasting rain lasted just a minute.
b) Her grandmother's everlasting patience amazed the family.
c) The bus stopped for an everlasting two seconds.
d) She ate an everlasting sandwich in one bite.
Show answer
b) Her grandmother's everlasting patience amazed the family.
