test of time

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

test of time (usually uncountable, plural tests of time)

1. The correlation of longevity with validity of an idea or trend.

   to stand the test of time

   to pass the test of time

   Reason away, but the test of time will prove me right.

   • 2022 November 23, Hadley Freeman, quoting Susan Seidelman, “Like a cinema virgin: how Madonna went stratospheric making Desperately Seeking Susan”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 October 2026:

     It’s thrilling when you make something that passes the test of time. Because I didn’t even think in those terms when I was making it. I just wanted to put my finger on the pulse of the time.

Usage notes

The term is usually found with the definite article the, but other combinations that are possible include “this test of time” and “another test of time”.

Translations

Translations

• Dutch: tand des tijds m
• Faroese: tíðarinnar tonn f
• Finnish: ajan hammas
• French: épreuve du temps f
• German: Zeit (de) f, Test der Zeit m, Zahn der Zeit m
• Hindi: काल की परीक्षा f (kāl kī parīkṣā), समय की परीक्षा f (samay kī parīkṣā)
• Polish: próba czasu f, ząb czasu m
• Russian: испыта́ние вре́менем n (ispytánije vrémenem)
• Swedish: tidens tand c

See also

• fullness of time
• time-tested
• time will tell
• wait-and-see

Further reading

• “test of time”, in Merriam-Webster Online, Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1996–present.