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Infernal vs Eternal - What's the difference?

infernal | eternal |

As adjectives the difference between infernal and eternal

is that infernal is of or relating to hell, or the world of the dead; hellish while eternal is lasting forever; unending.

As a noun infernal

is (obsolete) an inhabitant of the infernal regions.

infernal

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Of or relating to hell, or the world of the dead; hellish.
  • (by extension) Of or relating to a fire or inferno.
  • Stygian, gloomy.
  • Diabolical or fiendish.
  • * Addison
  • the instruments or abettors in such infernal dealings
  • (as an expletive, not vulgar) Very annoying; damned.
  • * 1905 , Bram Stoker, The Man
  • As I had to put up with the patronage and the lecturings, and the eyeglass of that infernal old woman,

    Antonyms

    * (of or relating to hell) heavenly

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) An inhabitant of the infernal regions.
  • (Drayton)
    (Webster 1913) ----

    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