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.
The bank is competing in an increasingly heated wealth-management industry, where high-end clients who pay big fees are treated with white-glove service and are constantly lured by rivals dangling access to special funds and services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Cosmo itched so much from allergies that he constantly scratched himself raw and unleashed a howl when we were gone for too long, so loud and haunting that my neighbor thought it was a siren.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Now, the scorching temperatures of recent weeks have left the 38-year-old from west London "obsessively" reading about the heatwave and constantly checking her weather app.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
"The message I'm constantly hearing is: 'Forget about something new. Let's get what we've got performing better'," he said in an interview with "Aviation Week" ahead of Farnborough.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
That’ll happen when people are constantly aiming arrows your way.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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.
