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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

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

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

Etymology

Origin of continental

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

Example Sentences

These rocks formed in a shallow marine environment along a continental shelf during the final stages of Gondwana's formation, before the supercontinent eventually split apart to form regions that became South America and Africa.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

Bournemouth boosted their chances of playing in Europe for the first time in their history with a 1-0 win at Fulham on Saturday, while Brighton also remain on course to return to continental action.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

With continental inflation tame, the European Central Bank looked to be headed prewar toward interest rates too low for lenders to earn healthy margins.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

The Kaiserslautern Military Community, which includes Ramstein, is the largest outside the continental U.S. and counts more than 50,000 members, including 18,000 soldiers, as well as civilian staff and families.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Ben did not understand why his mother, his sister, and his friends had to bleed, hurt, and cramp; the separateness was an abyss, a continental divide that kept them apart.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• global
• multicultural