Meanings
adjectiveonce-in-a-lifetime (not comparable)
- not comparableLikely to happen only once in one's lifetime; extremely rare.
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel the world
1 more example
With Trump in office, they see what one Gulf official called a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to achieve his country’s objectives.
2025 May 11, Nadeen Ebrahim and Abbas Al Lawati, “Trump is visiting three of the world’s richest nations. Here’s what’s on their wish list”, in CNNSynonyms: of a lifetime
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveLikely to happen only once in one's lifetime; extremely rare.
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Translations
Chinese Mandarin 千載難逢 /千载难逢
- 千載難逢 /千载难逢 (qiānzǎinánféng)Likely to happen only once in one's lifetime
Finnish ainutlaatuinen
- ainutlaatuinenLikely to happen only once in one's lifetime
French du siècle, qui ne se présente qu'une fois
- du siècleLikely to happen only once in one's lifetime
- qui ne se présente qu'une foisLikely to happen only once in one's lifetime
Hebrew של פעם בחיים
- של פעם בחיים (shél pá'am b'khayím)Likely to happen only once in one's lifetime
Italian più unico che raro
- più unico che raroLikely to happen only once in one's lifetime
Cite this entry
APA
once-in-a-lifetime. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/once-in-a-lifetime
MLA
“once-in-a-lifetime.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/once-in-a-lifetime. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “once-in-a-lifetime,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/once-in-a-lifetime.
Source: once-in-a-lifetime on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.