immortal

1 of 2

adjective

im·​mor·​tal (ˌ)i-ˈmȯr-tᵊl How to pronounce immortal (audio)
1
: exempt from death
the immortal gods
2
: exempt from oblivion : imperishable
immortal fame
3
: connected with or relating to immortality
4
: able or tending to divide indefinitely
immortal cell lines produced in culture
immortally adverb

immortal

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: one exempt from death
b
immortals or Immortals plural : the gods of the Greek and Roman pantheon
2
a
: a person whose fame is lasting
b
capitalized : any of the 40 members of the Académie Française

Examples of immortal in a Sentence

Adjective the age-old quest for immortal fame vowed that his hatred of that family was immortal and that someday he'd get his revenge
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Others signed up to be cryogenically frozen, hoping that their minds could be uploaded into immortal digital beings. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Ace Frehley, founding member and lead guitarist of the immortal foursome KISS, although long single, having departed in 1982, has a new record out, 10,000 Volts, the title a not particularly subtle hint that this is a very heavy rock record, played at full bore. Bob Guccione Jr., SPIN, 7 Mar. 2024 But securing immortal greatness required an all-time performance. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 And like Peter Falk’s immortal gumshoe, Elsbeth — who will insert herself unbidden into an investigation — asks a lot of questions, some merely out of curiosity. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Durkin had seen Kerry wrestle in person, and the golden-haired Texan seemed immortal in the ring. EW.com, 6 Nov. 2023 By comparison with the immortal gods, even the loftiest mortals are losers in the long run (as Achilles realizes in Hades). Robert Pogue Harrison, The New York Review of Books, 15 Feb. 2024 Milk, the creamy cornerstone of countless breakfasts, beverages, and baking projects, isn’t immortal. Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 12 Feb. 2024 That was James Carville’s immortal phrase to explain Bill Clinton’s surprising victory in 1992, ending Democrats’ 12-year exile from national office. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2024
Noun
All season, Luis Arraez had been in hot pursuit of baseball immortals. Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 27 June 2023 Ringo Starr and Harry Nilsson headline this unhinged British musical, in which Merlin the Magician (Starr, who also produced) tries to convince Nilsson's reluctant immortal to assume the family throne. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2022 This sets the long-haired immortal with bulging biceps on a journey to self-discovery, spurred by the stakes in this installment of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the lives of all of the gods in the universe. Kimi Robinson, The Arizona Republic, 5 July 2022 Incredibly, this specific question even once came up regarding optioning her 1997 novel My Soul to Keep, in which the protagonist is a 500-year-old immortal, who, as such, experienced enslavement in the Antebellum south. Essence, 15 Oct. 2021 The film also stars Luca Marinelli (Trust, Martin Eden) as Nicky and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Doctor Strange) as Copley, who seeks to capture the immortals so they can be weaponized. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 21 May 2020 Learn from millennia of aspiring immortals, syphilitics, and sushi over-consumers, and just say no. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 19 Feb. 2020 Created by Celestials, the Eternals are a team of godlike immortals with special powers who come out of hiding when their mortal enemies threaten the safety of the Earth. Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 13 Feb. 2020 And the hallowed golf immortals—like U.S. Open champs Nicklaus, Watson and Woods—that shadow your every shot? David Weiss, WSJ, 22 Jan. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'immortal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin immortalis, from in- + mortalis mortal

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of immortal was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near immortal

Cite this Entry

“Immortal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immortal. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

immortal

1 of 2 adjective
im·​mor·​tal (ˈ)im-ˈȯrt-ᵊl How to pronounce immortal (audio)
: living or lasting forever
immortally adverb

immortal

2 of 2 noun
1
: an immortal being
2
: a person whose fame is lasting
baseball immortals

More from Merriam-Webster on immortal

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