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# eternal

«eternal» in Mova's school dictionary: **Lasting for ever, without beginning or end** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (eternal); adverb eternally

### meaning for a pupil

1) Lasting for ever, without beginning or end. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#m1)

2) (church) Christians believe God is eternal and that believers will have eternal life with God after death. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#m2)

3) (informal) Seeming to go on for ever, often annoyingly: «his eternal complaining». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#m3)

4) Always true or always there: «eternal truths», «an eternal optimist». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In religion lessons eternal describes God and heaven: «eternal life», «the Eternal City» (Rome). In everyday talk it means «never-ending» or is used with humour. Phrases: «eternal life», «eternal love», «eternal flame», «eternal rest», «an eternal optimist».

### examples

- Christians believe God is eternal. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#x1)
- Jesus promised eternal life to those who believe. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#x2)
- The car journey felt eternal! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#x3)
- Rome is called the Eternal City. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#x4)
- An eternal flame burns at the war memorial. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#x5)
- My dad is an eternal optimist; he always thinks it'll be sunny. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#x6)
- They swore eternal friendship. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#x7)
- "Your blood grows thick from your eternal dreaming. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/#x8)

### note

Adjective, not used with «more». Noun: eternity. Similar: everlasting, endless. «Eternal rest» (euphemism) is said about people who have died.

### In the corpora

- [Christians believe eternal life starts now and continues after death because Jesus rose again.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/22-prayer-forgiveness-grace-and-heaven/20/)
- [Christians believe in resurrection and eternal life with God.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/73-what-other-faiths-and-non-religious-people-believe/16/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «eternal» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/eternal/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.