constantly
Americanadverb
-
without pausing; unceasingly.
Add the milk and cook until thick, stirring constantly.
-
regularly or frequently; consistently.
The charts have to be updated every few years as the geomagnetic field is changing constantly.
We need to be constantly vigilant if we do not want the clutter to get out of hand.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of constantly
Explanation
When something happens constantly, it never stops or changes. If you sister constantly complains that she's hungry, she is always insisting that she's starving. If your dog barks constantly when he's in the car, he doesn't stop until you reach your destination, and if you're constantly thinking about your upcoming trip to France, you can't ever get it out of your head. The adverb constantly comes from constant, or "continual," which is rooted in the Latin constantem, "standing firm, stable, steadfast, or faithful."
Vocabulary lists containing constantly
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.
Appeared in the March 31, 2026, print edition as 'The Cost of a Constantly Online Childhood'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Constantly revised and updated, the guide has made "the UK one of the leading countries in the world on safety", says Steve Allen, founder of the event management consultancy, Crowd Safety.
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
"Constantly assuming new faces, it has insinuated itself into the heart of our societies, into every crack, too often accompanied by that same pact of cowardice: to keep silent, to refuse to see."
From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026
There is an overwhelming sense of Constantly Being Perceived, even if it doesn’t always show up on a day-to-day basis.
From Slate • Feb. 12, 2026
Constantly he made his friend help him out of bed so that he could pray.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
