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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

• continentals
  plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• continentals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of continental

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

continental Continental continentals

The same set of players, with a few additions and omissions, had already impressed at continental level.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

"To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed record of a living mesophotic coral ecosystem on the Gulf of Guinea continental shelf," said Zinzindohoué.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

“The oceans are rising with each passing year. As that water becomes warmer, it thermally expands. More of the continental ice sheets melt. And it raises the sea level,” Swain said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Buenos Aires argues that the arrangement breaches Argentine law, which prohibits the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons on its continental shelf without government authorization.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

At such times the ridge came down, and the continental shelf, so to speak, stretched out, and the algae along the shore became so slack that I tended to catch my feet in it.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Continental rifting happens when Earth's rigid outer shell begins to stretch and thin.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026

George Washington and the Continental Congress hoped to sever French-speaking eastern Quebec from the rest of British Canada and bring it into the war as a 14th rebel colony.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

In return for a three-year commitment to accompany the third duke of Buccleuch on his Continental tour, Smith received a lifetime pension of £300 a year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The Founding Father worked closely with the Continental Congress and balanced the conflicting demands of military officers and civic leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Continental differences in axis orientation affected the diffusion not only of food production but also of other technologies and inventions.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

"If you don't do this and let the continentals get ahead, then they will start to undermine the cement ... which is clearing, settlement and transactions," Hodson said.

From Reuters ● Sep. 2, 2021

Britain used to be seen by continentals as quirky and occasionally awkward - but reliably pragmatic on the economy.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2017

Even among continentals, the post-Brexit fall of the pound seems to have compensated for whatever affront they may have taken.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2016

Spare a thought for the crazies the continentals are stuck with.

From Economist ● Jun. 1, 2012

The prejudice that islanders are supposed to learn from superior continentals wasn’t the sole reason why record-breaking Japanese pottery caused such a shock.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• global
• multicultural