continental
adjective
of or of the nature of a continent.
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continental
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Continental
Continentaladjectiveof or characteristic of Europe, excluding the British Isles
continental
American
[kon-tn-en-tl]
/ ˌkɒn tnˈɛn tl /
adjective
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of or of the nature of a continent.
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(usually initial capital letter) of or relating to the mainland of Europe, to Europeans, or to European customs and attitudes.
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(initial capital letter) of or relating to the 13 original American colonies during and immediately after the American Revolution.
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of or relating to the continent of North America.
noun
continentals
plural
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(initial capital letter) a soldier of the Continental Army in the American Revolution.
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a piece of paper currency issued by the Continental Congress during the American Revolution.
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a small amount.
advice that's not worth a continental.
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an inhabitant of a continent.
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(usually initial capital letter) an inhabitant of the mainland of Europe.
Continental
British
/ ˌkɒntɪˈnɛntəl /
adjective
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of or characteristic of Europe, excluding the British Isles
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of or relating to the 13 original British North American colonies during and immediately after the War of American Independence
noun
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(sometimes not capital) an inhabitant of Europe, excluding the British Isles
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a regular soldier of the rebel army during the War of American Independence
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history a currency note issued by the Continental Congress
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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Continentalismnoun
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Continentalistnoun
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noncontinentaladjective
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precontinentaladjective
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continentallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of continental
Vocabulary lists containing continental
Weather and Climate - Middle School
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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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.
At the end of the ’90s, Tyler signed with Hansa/BMG Ariola and, eventually, with EastWest Records and continued to find success in continental Europe.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026
Argentina have enjoyed extensive continental success, too, winning the Copa America a record 16 times - including the past two tournaments.
From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026
Donovan highlighted that the issue is not that the U.K. is losing its population of millionaires, but that growth is happening from an already large base in comparison with continental Europe.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026
Together, these competing forces effectively "tear" the continental lithosphere, creating a southwest-dipping channel beneath Yellowstone.
From Science Daily • Jun. 28, 2026
All these effects that continental differences in area, population, ease of diffusion, and onset of food production exerted on the rise of technology became exaggerated, because technology catalyzes itself.
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.
