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continual - 3 dictionary results
con⋅tin⋅u⋅al
[kuh
n-tin-yoo-uh
l]
–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 -al 1 ; r. ME continuel < MF < L, as above
1300–50; < ML continuālis, equiv. to L continu(us) continuous + -ālis -al 1 ; 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.
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.
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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
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Link To continual
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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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Language Translation for : continual
Spanish:
continuo, repetido,
German:
sehr häufig,
Japanese:
ひん繁な
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