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continual
4 dictionary results for: Continual
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
con·tin·u·al       [kuhn-tin-yoo-uhl] Pronunciation Key
–adjective
1.of regular or frequent recurrence; often repeated; very frequent: continual bus departures.
2.happening without interruption or cessation; continuous in time.
[Origin: 1300–50; < ML continuālis, equiv. to L continu(us) continuous + -ālis -al1; r. ME continuel < MF < L, as above]

—Related forms
con·tin·u·al·i·ty, con·tin·u·al·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. successive, recurrent, repetitive, repetitious. 2. unceasing, ceaseless, incessant, uninterrupted, unremitting, unbroken, permanent, unending.
—Usage note Although usage guides generally advise that continual may be used only to mean “intermittent” and continuous only to mean “uninterrupted,” the words are used interchangeably in all kinds of speech and writing with no distinction in meaning: The President's life is under continual (or continuous) scrutiny. Continuous (or continual) bursts of laughter punctuated her testimony. The adverbs continually and continuously are also used interchangeably. To make a clear distinction between what occurs at short intervals and what proceeds without interruption, writers sometimes use the contrasting terms intermittent (intermittent losses of power during the storm) and uninterrupted (uninterrupted reception during the storm) or similar expressions. Continuous is not interchangeable with continual in the sense of spatial relationship: a continuous (not continual) series of passages.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
con·tin·u·al       (kən-tĭn'yōō-əl)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.  
  1. Recurring regularly or frequently: the continual need to pay the mortgage.
  2. Not interrupted; steady: continual noise; a continual diet of vegetables.

con·tin'u·al·ly adv.
Synonyms: 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.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
continual

adjective
1. occurring without interruption; chiefly restricted to what recurs regularly or frequently in a prolonged and closely spaced series; "the continual banging of the shutters" [ant: sporadic] 
2. 'continual' (meaning seemingly uninterrupted) is often used interchangeably with 'continuous' (meaning without interruption) 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Continual

Con*tin"u*al\, a. [OE. continuel, F. continuel. See Continue.]

1. Proceeding without interruption or cesstaion; continuous; unceasing; lasting; abiding.

He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. --Prov. xv. 15.

2. Occuring in steady and rapid succession; very frequent; often repeated.

The eye is deligh by a continental succession of small landscapes. --W. Irwing.

Continual proportionals (Math.), quantities in continued proportion. --Brande & C.

Syn: Constant; prepetual; incessant; unceasing; uninterrupted; unintermitted; continuous. See Constant, and Continuous.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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