Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

continual

[kuhn-tin-yoo-uhl]

adjective

of regular or frequent recurrence; often repeated; very frequent: continual bus departures.

happening without interruption or cessation; continuous in time.

Origin:
1300–50; < Medieval Latin continuālis, equivalent to Latin continu(us) continuous + -ālis -al¹; replacing Middle English continuel < Middle French < Latin, as above

Related forms

con·tin·u·al·i·ty, con·tin·u·al·ness, noun

qua·si-con·tin·u·al, adjective

qua·si-con·tin·u·al·ly, adverb

un·con·tin·u·al, adjective

un·con·tin·u·al·ly, adverb

Can be confused: continual, continuous, intermittent (see usage note at the current entry).

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. EXPANDTo 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.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To continual

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Continual is always a great word to know.

So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

H&M's business strategy of keeping fashion fresh, as if it were a perishable good, has helped the brand see continual growth.

So on the functional knowledge, there needs to be a process of continual refreshing.

There had been more or less continual problems over accountability.

EXPAND

H&M's business strategy of keeping fashion fresh, as if it were a perishable good, has helped the brand see continual growth.

So on the functional knowledge, there needs to be a process of continual refreshing.

There had been more or less continual problems over accountability.

And the warnings need to be systematic and continual to make sure new residents are aware of the danger, he said.

Some key events in a history that has been marked by continual change.

What makes an economy strong is productivity, not a continual population pyramid in a world of finite resources.

Almost continual bloom from early summer through frost add to my plant list.

Prévil said that two functional operating rooms have been in continual use, an additional third room opening for only a week.

The continual desire to increase the size of heavy ordnance has become on the part of many nations little else than a mania.

Indecisiveness in name-changing has been a continual irritation.

Ever since, it has suffered from continual droop, punctuated by the occasional outright collapse.

The continual pounding of the waves can cause the top of the arch to fall, leaving nothing but rock columns.

It is thwarted by continual electrical and technical breakdowns.

And with a raised planter right outside the kitchen door, you can have a continual supply of salad greens nearly year-round.

Songer has prepared them for this moment by continual reinforcement of the tao of taste.

There is indiscriminate firing from windows, and continual clashes in street cars between whites and blacks.

Many shamefaced emoticons for continual quote tag mess-ups.

But this approach also forces the consortium to tackle the second problem raised by the continual shrinkage of transistors:.

Escaping continual self-observation seems an underappreciated pleasure.

The trees tend to bloom almost year-round, so harvest is nearly continual.

It finally makes clear what is the real motive behind her continual questioning of the special-education delivery system.

Your relationship with a consultant requires continual monitoring to get the best results.

Facing up to that now rather than by continual dithering will be painful.

I've broken the cycle of continual deterioration but improvement is a constant challenge.

Some of the mayhem-two decapitations and continual skewerings-is horrifying.

They may need to bend somewhat and accept some restrictions, as long as the public's right to continual access is preserved.

Another theme is a recurrent one: a continual lack of judicial and congressional oversight.

Your comments almost sound reasonable, but for your continual reliance on demeaning personal remarks.

Continual absence or tardiness jeopardizes the ability of an employee to complete important tasks.

They have lost the right to be pulled aside by their continual idiotic behavior.

Also you would see that there is a need for a large and continual influx of capital for investment purposes.

In light of this continual foraging, the plants have struck a mutually beneficial bargain with several species of ants.

Her eight subsequent novels and her folk-tale and essay collections punctuated a continual outpouring of cultural journalism.

The creativity is continual expanding, interconnectivity between worlds is on the horizon.

The three keys for success are goal setting, continual performance improvement and accountability.

It gets broken down, jettisoned or sloughed off in some way, to be replaced by the continual process of renewal.

But he does admit that his plants nearly died before he moved them from dry soil to an area with continual moisture.

The quiet and peaceful atmosphere lets me get my work done without the aggravation of continual interruptions.

On top of the continual growth and construction of homes for the urban poor, there is a possibility of cases of fraud.

What if it is a boss berating an employee on a continual basis, over the smallest of things.

Koistinen, who dreams of running his own security operation, leads a life of continual humiliation.

Its continual reinforcement of a certain view within a fairly close profession.

One can merely isolate the property for a long period, but continual sequestration of land area becomes problematic.

Now few are left and finding mates to keep them breeding in captivity is a continual challenge.

The claim was that one of these devices would give a laptop ten or twelve hours continual use.

I've yet to see any sustainable energy replacement for fossil fuels and our civilisation requires a continual increase in energy.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

continual (kənˈtɪnjʊəl)

—*adj*
1.	recurring frequently, esp at regular intervals
2.	occurring without interruption; continuous in time

[C14: from Old French continuel, from Latin continuus uninterrupted, from continēre to hold together, contain]



continu'ality

—n

con'tinualness

—n

con'tinually

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

continual

mid-14c., continuell, from O.Fr. continuel (12c.), from L. continuus (see continue). That which is continual is that which is either always going on or recurs at short intervals and never comes to an end; that which is continuous is that

EXPAND

in which there is no break between the beginning and the end. Related: Continually (c.1300, contynuelliche).

COLLAPSE

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for continual?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

parade pet peeve running joke runoff thorn

Matching Quote

"A stupid child is ruin to a father, and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain."

-unknown author

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help