- happening over and over again; repeated often; going on in rapid succession
- going on uninterruptedly; continuous
Origin of continual
Middle English continuel from Old French from Classical Latin continuus: see continue
adjective
The definition of continual is ongoing, or occurring frequently or without pause.
If someone is constantly making noise and barely ever taking a break, this is an example of continual noise.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"continual." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual>.
APA Style
continual. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual
continual
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"continual." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual>.
APA Style
continual. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual
continual
adjective
- Recurring regularly or frequently: continual improvements in technology.
- Not interrupted; steady: a process that requires continual monitoring.
Related Forms:
- con·tin′u·al·ly
adverb
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"continual." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual>.
APA Style
continual. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual
continual
continual continuous constant ceaseless incessant perpetual eternal perennial interminable
These adjectives mean occurring repeatedly over a long period of time. Continual is chiefly restricted to what is intermittent or repeated at intervals: The continual banging of the shutter in the wind gave me a headache. Continuous implies lack of interruption: The horizon is a continuous line. Constant stresses steadiness or persistence and unvarying nature: The constant ticking of the clock lulled him to sleep. Ceaseless and incessant pertain to uninterrupted activity: The ceaseless thunder of the surf eroded the beach. The toddler asked incessant questions. Perpetual emphasizes both steadiness and duration: The ambassador had a perpetual stream of visitors. Eternal refers to what is everlasting, especially to what is seemingly without temporal beginning or end: “That freedom can be retained only by the eternal vigilance which has always been its price” (Elmer Davis). Perennial describes existence that goes on year after year, often with the suggestion of self-renewal: The candidates discussed the perennial problem of urban poverty. Interminable refers to what is or seems to be endless and is often applied to something prolonged and wearisome: After an interminable delay, our flight was canceled outright.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"continual." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual>.
APA Style
continual. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual
Adjective
(not comparable)
- Recurring in steady, rapid succession.
- (proscribed) Seemingly continuous; appearing to have no end or interruption.
- (proscribed) Forming a continuous series.
Usage notes
In careful usage, continual refers to repeated actions “continual objections”, while continuous refers to uninterrupted actions or objects “continuous flow”, “played music continuously from dusk to dawn”. However, this distinction is not observed in informal usage, a noted example being the magic spell name “continual light” (unbroken light), in the game Dungeons & Dragons.
Anagrams
Origin
From Middle English continuel, from Old French continuel, from Latin continuus (“continuous”)
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"continual." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual>.
APA Style
continual. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/continual
