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Eternal vs Lifetime - What's the difference?

eternal | lifetime |

As an adjective eternal

is lasting forever; unending.

As a noun lifetime is

the duration of the life of someone or something.

eternal

English

Alternative forms

* (chiefly archaic) * (obsolete) * eternall (obsolete)

Adjective

(-)
  • Lasting forever; unending.
  • * John Locke
    • to know whether there were any real being, whose duration has been eternal
  • * Dryden
    • Fires eternal in thy temple shine.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 27 , author=Nathan Rabin , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992) , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=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. }}
  • (philosophy) existing outside time; as opposed to sempiternal, existing within time but everlastingly
  • (dated) Exceedingly great or bad; used as an intensifier.
    • some eternal villain

    Synonyms

    * permanent, sempiternal, endless, everlasting * (existing outside time) timeless, atemporal

    Antonyms

    * ephemeral * sempiternal

    Derived terms

    * eternal life * eternal recurrence * eternal return * eternal triangle * hope springs eternal

    Anagrams

    * English words suffixed with -al ----

    lifetime

    English

    Noun

  • The duration of the life of someone or something.
  • (informal, hyperbole) A long period of time.
    • I've been waiting a lifetime for a train.

    Synonyms

    * ages, donkey's years (UK slang''), an eternity, years, yonks (''UK slang )

    Derived terms

    * chemical lifetime * a legend in one's own lifetime * all in a lifetime, all in one's lifetime * customer lifetime value * fluorescence lifetime imaging * lifetime achievement award * lifetime average daily dose * lifetime cap * lifetime employment * lifetime exposure * lifetime income tax * lifetime job * lifetime learning credit * lifetime maximum benefit amount * lifetime mobility * lifetime mortgage * lifetime payment cap * lifetime policy * lifetime rate cap * lifetime reserve days * lifetime reverse mortgage * life-timer * lifetime risk * lifetime value * minority carrier lifetime * maximum segment lifetime * mean lifetime * object lifetime * of a lifetime * once-in-a-lifetime