Posterity
noun /pɒˈstɛr.ɪ.ti/ — All future generations; those who will come after us.
Definition
All future generations of people. To do something 'for posterity' is to do it knowing that future people — people not yet born — will benefit from, or judge, your actions.
Beyond the definition
Posterity is the invisible audience. Everything we preserve, plant, build, or write is ultimately for people we will never meet. Posterity gives actions a weight beyond the immediate — the weight of time.
Origin & history
Latin: 'posteritas' (future generations). From 'posterus' (coming after). Related to 'posterior', 'post', and 'posterior'. The root concept: what comes after.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She kept a diary not for herself but for posterity — she had always felt she was living through history.
For posterity: record the things that feel most ordinary. Those will be most valuable later.
The building was designed for posterity — its architect expected it to stand five hundred years.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Posterity” when the meaning fits your context: All future generations of people. To do something 'for posterity' is to do it knowing that future people — people not yet born — will benefit from, or judge, your actions.
Synonyms
future generations, descendants, successors
Antonyms
ancestors, predecessors, the past
Related words
Posterity vs descendants
Posterity refers to all future generations collectively. Descendants refers to the specific individuals who are the biological offspring or progeny of a single ancestor.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Time Layered in Landscape
An adult stands on a hill overlooking crumbling ruins in the foreground and a modern city in the distance.
The ruins left for the future residents of the city represent an act done for posterity. The structures serve as a legacy that future generations will benefit from or judge.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Posterity" mean?
Posterity is noun meaning: All future generations; those who will come after us.. All future generations of people. To do something 'for posterity' is to do it knowing that future people — people not yet born — will benefit from, or judge, your actions.
Where does the word "Posterity" come from?
Latin: 'posteritas' (future generations). From 'posterus' (coming after). Related to 'posterior', 'post', and 'posterior'. The root concept: what comes after.