countless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of countless
Explanation
Countless means more than you could possibly count. If you have countless reasons why you love living in New York, there are so many reasons that you can't list them all. Countless is a good adjective to use when you want to emphasize how endless, huge, or immeasurable something is. Your could say that smoke detectors save countless lives each year, or that your principal has tried countless times to ban soda at school, only to be outvoted by the student council over and over. The word dates from the 16th century, from the verb count, with its Old French root, conter, "add up."
Vocabulary lists containing countless
Much Ado: Synonyms for "Many"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 6
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"Dogs at Work"
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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.
Countless before-and-after transplant posts, meanwhile, feature guys who flew to Turkey as Sphynx cats and seemingly returned as kings of the jungle.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026
Countless LinkedIn pages spout something about residing at the intersection of sport and fashion.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Countless buildings have been destroyed, and streets remain deserted as residents are reluctant or unable to return.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Countless propaganda posters call for people to enlist with the army, crowding out adverts for a production of "Swan Lake" at the local theatre.
From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026
Countless refugees returned from India, greeted, we learned, by unemployment and the threat of famine.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
