continental
Americanadjective
-
of or of the nature of a continent.
-
(usually initial capital letter) of or relating to the mainland of Europe, to Europeans, or to European customs and attitudes.
-
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the 13 original American colonies during and immediately after the American Revolution.
-
of or relating to the continent of North America.
noun
-
(initial capital letter) a soldier of the Continental Army in the American Revolution.
-
a piece of paper currency issued by the Continental Congress during the American Revolution.
-
a small amount.
advice that's not worth a continental.
-
an inhabitant of a continent.
-
(usually initial capital letter) an inhabitant of the mainland of Europe.
adjective
-
of or characteristic of Europe, excluding the British Isles
-
of or relating to the 13 original British North American colonies during and immediately after the War of American Independence
noun
-
(sometimes not capital) an inhabitant of Europe, excluding the British Isles
-
a regular soldier of the rebel army during the War of American Independence
-
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
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.
"Out of the five continental semis in the club's history, I was involved in two. That makes me incredibly proud," the 53-year-old says.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
But the Americans involved are spread across an area more than half the size of the continental U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
Future models will examine how gravity, sea level, and changes in continental elevation interact.
From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026
Wafcon is the second continental tournament to be moved at short notice in the past 14 months.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
For the purposes of this book, the key question about the laundry list is whether such factors differed systematically from continent to continent and thereby led to continental differences in technological development.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
