Retroactive vs Eternal – What’s the difference?

Retroactive vs Eternal - What's the difference?
As adjectives the difference between retroactive and eternal is that retroactive is while eternal is lasting forever; unending.

retroactive

English

Adjective

()

  • Extending in scope, effect, application or influence to a prior time or to prior conditions
  • See also

    *ex post facto
    *retrospective

    eternal

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (chiefly archaic)
    * (obsolete)
    * eternall (obsolete)

    Adjective

    ()

  • Lasting forever; unending.
  • * John Locke
  • to know whether there were any real being, whose duration has been eternal
  • * Dryden
  • Fires eternal in thy temple shine.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2012
    , date=May 27
    , author=Nathan Rabin
    , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)
    , work=The Onion AV Club
    citation
    , page=
    , passage=In a bid to understand the eternal mystery that is woman, Bart goes to the least qualified possible source for advice and counsel: his father, who remarkably seems to have made it to his mid-30s without quite figuring out much of anything. }}

  • (philosophy) existing outside time; as opposed to sempiternal, existing within time but everlastingly
  • (dated) Exceedingly great or bad; used as an intensifier.
  • some eternal villain

    Synonyms

    * permanent, sempiternal, endless, everlasting
    * (existing outside time) timeless, atemporal

    Antonyms

    * ephemeral
    * sempiternal

    Derived terms

    * eternal life
    * eternal recurrence
    * eternal return
    * eternal triangle
    * hope springs eternal