accept the finality of death

verb phrase

1. To come to terms with the fact that death is permanent and cannot be reversed; to stop hoping, consciously or unconsciously, that a dead person will return or that death can be undone.

   B2

   verb phrase; transitive; takes a subject (e.g. "she accepted the finality of death")neutral

   • "After months of grieving, she began to accept the finality of death."B2
   • "Counsellors help families accept the finality of death when relatives cling to the hope that the doctors were wrong."C1
   • "The novel explores how people accept the finality of death."C1

2. To hold, as a philosophical or religious position, that death is the absolute end of a person's existence, with no afterlife or continuation.

   C1

   verb phrase; often used in philosophical or theological discussionformal

   • "Some people find comfort in religion, while others accept the finality of death and look for meaning in the present."B2
   • "To accept the finality of death is, for many philosophers, to face existence honestly rather than rely on consolation."C1
   • "The essay argues that modern medicine has made it harder for societies to accept the finality of death."C2