posterity

P3O1S1T1E1R1I1T1Y4
UK/pɒˈstɛɹɪti/

noun

All the future generations, especially the descendants of a specific person.

Less commonScrabble 14

Meanings

nounposterity (usually uncountable, plural posterities)

plural posterities

  1. uncountableusuallyAll the future generations, especially the descendants of a specific person.

    That woman foretold and inflicted a singular disease on Sigvard and his posterity till the ninth generation, and several of his descendants are to this day afflicted with it.

    1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 252
    1 more example

    The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering splendour of a great architectural achievement.

    1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC
  2. uncountableusuallytransferred sense; almost always preceded by for; transferred sense; almost always preceded by forFuture audiences, future times, future recognition.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounall of the offspring of a given progenitor

Broader
biological group

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinposteritas
  2. Middle Frenchposterité
  3. Englishposterity

Late 14th century, from Middle French posterité, from Latin posteritas, from posterus (“following, coming after”), from post (“after”) (English post-).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian пото́мство
  • пото́мство (potómstvo)all the future generations
Czech potomstvo
  • potomstvoall the future generations
Danish eftertid
  • eftertidall the future generations
Dutch nageslacht
  • nageslachtall the future generations
Finnish jälkipolvet, jälkimaailma
  • jälkipolvetall the future generations
  • jälkimaailmaall the future generations
  • jälkeläisetall the future generations
French postérité
  • postéritéall the future generations
German Nachwelt, Nachkommen
  • Nachweltall the future generations
  • Nachkommenall the future generations
Hungarian utókor
  • utókorall the future generations
Irish síolradh
  • síolradhall the future generations
Italian posteri
  • posteriall the future generations
Persian آیندگان
  • آیندگان (âyandegân)all the future generations
Polish potomstwo, progenitura
  • potomstwoall the future generations
  • progenituraall the future generations
Portuguese posteridade
  • posteridadeall the future generations
Romanian posteritate
  • posteritateall the future generations
Russian пото́мство
  • пото́мство (potómstvo)all the future generations
Slovak potomstvo
  • potomstvoall the future generations
Spanish posteridad
  • posteridadall the future generations
Swedish eftervärlden
  • eftervärldenall the future generations
Turkish nesil, soy
  • nesilall the future generations
  • soyall the future generations
  • zürriyetall the future generations
Ukrainian пото́мство
  • пото́мство (potómstvo)all the future generations

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with posterity

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

posterity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posterity

MLA

“posterity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posterity. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “posterity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posterity.

Source: posterity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.