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• continental
  continental

  adjective

  of or of the nature of a continent.
• Continental
  Continental

  adjective

  of or characteristic of Europe, excluding the British Isles

continental

American  

[kon-tn-en-tl] / ˌkɒn tnˈɛn tl /

adjective

1. of or of the nature of a continent.

2. (usually initial capital letter) of or relating to the mainland of Europe, to Europeans, or to European customs and attitudes.

3. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the 13 original American colonies during and immediately after the American Revolution.

4. of or relating to the continent of North America.

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noun

• continentals
  plural

1. (initial capital letter) a soldier of the Continental Army in the American Revolution.

2. a piece of paper currency issued by the Continental Congress during the American Revolution.

3. a small amount.

   advice that's not worth a continental.

4. an inhabitant of a continent.

5. (usually initial capital letter) an inhabitant of the mainland of Europe.

Continental British  

/ ˌkɒntɪˈnɛntəl /

adjective

1. of or characteristic of Europe, excluding the British Isles

2. of or relating to the 13 original British North American colonies during and immediately after the War of American Independence

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noun

1. (sometimes not capital) an inhabitant of Europe, excluding the British Isles

2. a regular soldier of the rebel army during the War of American Independence

3. history a currency note issued by the Continental Congress

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Continentalism
  noun
• Continentalist
  noun
• noncontinental
  adjective
• precontinental
  adjective
• continentally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• continentals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of continental

First recorded in 1750–60; continent + -al ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

continental Continental continentals

The biennial Talisman Sabre exercise last year in Australia featured the first live-fire exercise of the mobile, ground-launched Typhon missile system outside the continental U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Almost all of those people have already been sent back, more continue to be returned to their home country, and none have successfully crossed into continental Europe.

From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026

Speaking on a press call, BMW CEO Milan Nedeljkovic said the company was preparing for Chinese competitors to arrive in Europe even if the impact on BMW's continental sales had been limited so far.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Since then, FSG has explored the possibility of purchasing a second club in continental Europe to add to its portfolio.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

The continental nature of the crust makes a huge difference to its eruptions.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

After commanding the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, Washington voluntarily surrendered his military commission to Congress rather than retaining control of the army.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

More than a month after returning to the Continental Divide Trail, my mom came down with a severe stomach virus, which my father caught a few days later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

That raises the spectre of both supply difficulties and prices remaining well above pre-crisis levels, just as colder Continental weather drives up demand.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

“Now, we are in the final phase of our realignment as a pure-play tire manufacturer,” said Continental Chief Executive Christian Kotz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

At his urging, Silas Deane, a Connecticut delegate to the Continental Congress, was sent to Paris in 1776 by the Committee of Secret Correspondence.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

"If you don't do this and let the continentals get ahead, then they will start to undermine the cement ... which is clearing, settlement and transactions," Hodson said.

From Reuters ● Sep. 2, 2021

Britain used to be seen by continentals as quirky and occasionally awkward - but reliably pragmatic on the economy.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2017

Even among continentals, the post-Brexit fall of the pound seems to have compensated for whatever affront they may have taken.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2016

A complaint many continentals and Britons north of Oxford often make of those in between.

From Economist ● Oct. 19, 2012

The prejudice that islanders are supposed to learn from superior continentals wasn’t the sole reason why record-breaking Japanese pottery caused such a shock.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• global
• multicultural