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What is the difference between forever and eternal?

forever | eternal |

As an adverb forever

is for all time, for all eternity; for an infinite amount of time.

As a noun forever

is an extremely long time.

As an adjective eternal is

lasting forever; unending.

forever

English

Alternative forms

* for ever

Adverb

(-)
  • (duration) for all time, for all eternity; for an infinite amount of time.
  • ''I shall love you forever .
  • * 1839 , Denison Olmsted, A Compendium of Astronomy Page 95
  • Secondly, When a body is once in motion it will continue to move forever , unless something stops it. When a ball is struck on the surface of the earth, the friction of the earth and the resistance of the air soon stop its motion.
  • (duration, colloquial) for a very long time, 'an' eternity.
  • ''We had to wait forever to get inside.
  • (frequency) constantly or frequently.
  • ''You are forever nagging me.
  • * 1912 : (Edgar Rice Burroughs), (Tarzan of the Apes), Chapter 5
  • Early in his boyhood he had learned to form ropes by twisting and tying long grasses together, and with these he was forever tripping Tublat or attempting to hang him from some overhanging branch.

    Usage notes

    * In the United Kingdom and most of the Commonwealth, the spelling for ever'' may be used instead of ''forever'' for the senses "for all time" and "for a long time". In Canada and the United States, generally only ''forever is used, regardless of sense.

    Synonyms

    * always * continually * eternally * evermore * for good * forevermore * for ever more * incessantly * until Kingdom come

    Derived terms

    * foreverness

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An extremely long time.
  • *
  • * 2007 , Ruth O'Callaghan, Where acid has etched
  • In the airport, holiday lovers kiss, mouth forevers , the usual argot betrays you. Desire makes love dull.
  • (colloquial) a mythical time in the infinite future that will never come.
  • ''Sure, I'd be happy to meet with you on the 12th of forever .

    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