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 investors bear the scars from mistiming the cycle.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
Countless financial advisers and asset managers are saying the S&P 500 is “excessively concentrated,” “presents elevated risks to investors,” “is broken” and is “not safe!”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
Countless fled to America and elsewhere in the hope of a better life.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026
Countless theories discussed on social media only hyped up the ending of this saga.
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026
Countless tiny stars spent themselves in radiance, and neither Sarai nor Lazlo knew which of them was making it.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
