Eternity vs. Instant — What's the Difference?

Eternity, in common parlance, means infinite time that never ends (or the quality, condition or fact of being eternal). Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what exists outside time - as in describing supernatural beings and forces, whereas sempiternity corresponds to the infinitely temporal, non-metaphoric definitions, as recited in requiem prayers for the dead.

In physics and the philosophy of science, instant refers to an infinitesimal interval in time, whose passage is instantaneous. In ordinary speech, an instant has been defined as "a point or very short space of time," a notion deriving from its etymological source, the Latin verb instare, from in- + stare ('to stand'), meaning 'to stand upon or near.'The continuous nature of time and its infinite divisibility was addressed by Aristotle in his Physics, where he wrote on Zeno's paradoxes.

Infinite or unending time

A period of time so short as to be almost imperceptible.

Time without beginning or end; infinite time.

A particular or precise time

The state or quality of being eternal.

Abbr. inst. The current month

The timeless state following death.

A food or beverage designed for quick preparation.

The afterlife; immortality.

Occurring at once; immediate

A very long or seemingly endless time

Imperative; urgent

(uncountable) Existence without end, infinite time.

Now under consideration; present.

Existence outside of time.

Commercially prepared or processed for quick and easy final preparation

(countable) A period of time which extends infinitely far into the future.

Appearing, done, or taking place with great quickness and ease

(metaphysical) The remainder of time that elapses after death.

Quickly and easily resolved or determined

A comparatively long time.

At once; instantly.

Infinite duration, without beginning in the past or end in the future; also, duration without end in the future; endless time.

A very short period of time; a moment.

Condition which begins at death; immortality.

A single, usually precise, point in time.

Time without end

A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.

A state of eternal existence believed in some religions to characterize the afterlife

Senseid|en|camera}} {{ellipsis of instant camera

A seemingly endless time interval (waiting)

(dated) Impending; imminent.

(dated) Urgent; pressing; acute.

(dated) Insistent; persistent.

(legal) Present; current; extant.

Occurring immediately; immediate; present.

Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived.

Very quickly and easily prepared.

Of the current month.

(poetic) At once; immediately.

Pressing; urgent; importunate; earnest.

Closely pressing or impending in respect to time; not deferred; immediate; without delay.

Present; current.

Instantly.

A point in time; a moment; a portion of time too short to be estimated; also, any particular moment; as, teh situation may change in an instant.

A very short time (as the time it takes the eye blink or the heart to beat);

A particular point in time;

Occurring with no delay;

In or of the present month;

Demanding attention;