timeless

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparableapproving

   Staying just as attractive, true, or valuable across many years, without seeming dated.

   Grammar: Can come before a noun or after a verb: a timeless design, the story is timeless.

   Patterns

   • a timeless classic
   • timeless appeal

   The little black dress is a timeless piece of fashion.

   Shakespeare's stories have a timeless appeal.

   Her advice was simple and timeless.

2. 2adjectivenot comparableliterary

   Seeming to lie outside time, with no clear sense of age, beginning, or end.

   Grammar: Often found in literary description: a timeless landscape.

   Patterns

   • a timeless place

   The village had a timeless quality, as if nothing had changed in centuries.

   They stood in the timeless silence of the mountains.

   The desert seemed vast and timeless.

Common combinations

timeless classic

The film remains a timeless classic.

timeless beauty

The garden has a timeless beauty.

timeless design

The chair is a timeless design that suits any room.

timeless appeal

The song has a timeless appeal for all ages.

timeless story

It is a timeless story of love and loss.

Synonyms and how they differ

ageless

Ageless often describes people or things that never seem to grow old, while timeless is more about lasting value.

enduring

Enduring stresses that something lasts, whereas timeless also suggests it never looks dated.

classic

Classic means a recognized model of excellence, which may or may not be unaffected by time.

eternal

Eternal means lasting forever, while timeless is usually an opinion of lasting quality.

Opposites

Word family

time noun

the ongoing passing of moments

timelessly adverb

in a way that is not affected by time

timelessness noun

the quality of being timeless

timely adjective

happening at a suitable moment

Commonly confused: timeless or timely?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “timeless”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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