incessantly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of incessantly
Explanation
Use the adverb incessantly to describe an action that continues or repeats without interruption. The neighbor's dog might bark incessantly in the morning, causing you to complain incessantly about the noise. The word incessantly usually indicates that there's something slightly irritating about whatever is happening. The person sitting next to you at the library might be incessantly drumming her fingers on the table. Your little sister might be incessantly singing Disney songs during a long car ride. On the other hand, incessantly can have a more positive meaning, indicating determination or drive. If you work incessantly to prepare for a big presentation, that’s a good thing!
Vocabulary lists containing incessantly
Fahrenheit 451
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Metamorphosis
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The Alchemist
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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.
The two blue and yellow macaws, Peanuts and Coco, welcome staff with an "all right" and bid them "goodbye", while the galahs chatter incessantly in their enclosure.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Across the economic capital, condensers are hung high on the walls of buildings and hum incessantly.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
And while some of those aural elements still exist today, “Amores Perros” also serves as a time capsule of a city that has evolved and mutated incessantly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
You’ve honed your craft, studied incessantly and brought every part of yourself to this character and this movie.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026
Either in spite, or because, of his silence, I talked incessantly, with my legs crossed, ankle on knee, and constantly using my sock as an absorber for the perspiration on my palm.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.