timeless

English

Etymology

time +‎ -less

Adjective

timeless (comparative more timeless, superlative most timeless)

1. Eternal.
   • c. 1743, Edward Young, “Night 2: On Time, Death, and Friendship”, in The Complaint: or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality‎^[1]:

     When Worlds, that count his Circles now, unhing’d,
     (Fate the loud Signal sounding) headlong rush
     To timeless Night and Chaos, whence they rose.

2. Not affected by time; ageless.
3. (obsolete) Done at an improper time; unseasonable; untimely.
   • c. 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 1‎^[2], act V, scene 4:

     Must I behold thy timeless, cruel death?

   • 1725, Alexander, transl. Pope, The Odyssey of Homer‎^[3], book 3, London: Bernard Lintot, translation of The Odyssey by Homer, page 143, lines 427-430:

     The lamp of day is quench’d beneath the deep,
     And soft approach the balmy hours of sleep:
     Nor fits it to prolong the heav’nly feast
     Timeless, indecent, but retire to rest.

4. Not decreasing over time in quality and appeal.

   The cave carvings have a timeless beauty.

Synonyms

• (eternal): eternal, everlasting, immortal, infinite, never-ending, sempiternal; see also Thesaurus:eternal
• (not affected by time): ageless; see also Thesaurus:timeless
• (done at an improper time): ill-timed; see also Thesaurus:untimely
• (not decreasing over time): undiminishable, unfading

Antonyms

• (eternal): finite, limited
• (not affected by time): aged, old, sempiternal
• (done at an improper time): timely

Derived terms

terms derived from timeless

• timeless existence
• timelessly
• timeless moment

• timelessness
• timeless Test
• untimeless

Translations

eternal

• Italian: senza tempo
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

ageless — see ageless

untimely — see untimely

not decreasing over time in quality and appeal

• French: intemporel (fr)
• German: zeitlos (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: διαχρονικός (el) (diachronikós)
• Swedish: tidlös (sv)

Noun

timeless

1. A gene encoding an essential protein that regulates circadian rhythm, normally written in italics: timeless.

See also

• eternal now

Anagrams

• Steimels, Steimles, listemes, smelties