immortal

[ ih-mawr-tl ]

adjective

1. not mortal; not liable or subject to death; undying:

   our immortal souls.

2. remembered or celebrated through all time:

   the immortal words of Lincoln.

3. not liable to perish or decay; imperishable; everlasting.
4. perpetual; lasting; constant:

   an immortal enemy.

5. of or relating to immortal beings or immortality.
6. (of a laboratory-cultured cell line) capable of dividing indefinitely.

noun

1. an immortal being.
2. a person of enduring fame:

   Bach, Milton, El Greco, and other immortals.

   Synonyms: genius, titan, giant

3. the Immortals, the 40 members of the French Academy.
4. (often initial capital letter) any of the gods of classical mythology.

immortal

/ ɪˈmɔːtəl /

adjective

1. not subject to death or decay; having perpetual life
2. having everlasting fame; remembered throughout time
3. everlasting; perpetual; constant
4. of or relating to immortal beings or concepts

noun

1. an immortal being
2. often plural a person who is remembered enduringly, esp an author

   Dante is one of the immortals

Derived Forms

• ˌimmorˈtality, noun
• imˈmortally, adverb

Other Words From

• im·mortal·ly adverb
• quasi-im·mortal adjective
• quasi-im·mortal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of immortal¹

1325–75; Middle English (adj.) < Latin immortālis. See im- ², mortal

Example Sentences

Essentially immortal, Death possesses immense power, including the ability to manipulate time and matter.

From Los Angeles Times

In the immortal words of English zoologist Lancelot Alexander Borradaile, who coined the term, carcinization is “one of the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab.”

From Salon

Madame Butterfly, first won hearts in an 1898 short story by an American lawyer, then in a Broadway play two years later before becoming immortal thanks to Puccini’s 1904 Italian opera.

From Los Angeles Times

As for nearly everyone else, in the immortal words of Hiromatsu: “You will know what it is to be denied.”

From Los Angeles Times

After the attempt on his life in Pennsylvania, Trump is even more committed to the belief that he is a great man of history who may be immortal and chosen by God.

From Salon

Related Words

• endless
• enduring
• eternal
• everlasting
• indestructible
• never-ending
• timeless