repeatedly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of repeatedly
Explanation
To do something repeatedly means to do it over and over again. If you text your friend repeatedly during her geometry test, she'll probably get annoyed and turn her phone off. If a teacher tells a student, "I've told you repeatedly that you need to raise your hand before you speak," it means that the teacher has said this many times. This adverb implies an ongoing or even constant kind of activity. At the heart of repeatedly is the verb repeat, which has the Latin root repetere, "do or say again," or "attack again."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Americans are repeatedly encouraged to scrutinize what is in their food, who made it and whether the institutions responsible for regulating it can be trusted.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
She applied for more than 30 jobs but was repeatedly told she lacked experience.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Neuropathic pain develops when injured nerve fibers repeatedly send abnormal signals to the brain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
In June, pursuing what became the short-lived memorandum of understanding, the vice president repeatedly described his and his colleagues’ efforts to bring reason to the U.S.-Iran relationship as though the idea were original.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
I found it difficult to relax with Dexter repeatedly saying “chicken nipple” next to me, but I did my best.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
