Hereafter

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Hereafter

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

adverb and noun

Pronunciation

heer-AF-tuh  /ˌhɪərˈɑːftə/

Definition

As an adverb: from now on; in the future; at some future time; after this point in a document. As a noun (the hereafter): the afterlife; what comes after death; the world or state that exists after physical death.

Plain meaning

Hereafter has two main uses. As an adverb it means from this point on — used especially in formal and legal documents. As a noun, the hereafter is the afterlife — what religious traditions describe as existing after death. Both uses share the sense of what comes after the present moment.

Register

Formal in its adverb sense; solemn and often religious in its noun sense. Hereafter in a legal document is a technical term of art; the hereafter as the afterlife carries the full weight of theological, philosophical, and personal significance.