continually
Americanadverb
-
very often; at regular or frequent intervals; habitually.
-
without cessation or intermission; unceasingly; always.
Commonly Confused
See continual.
Etymology
Origin of continually
First recorded in 1175–1225, continually is from the Middle English word continuelli, continueliche; see continual, -ly
Explanation
When you do something continually, you do it over and over again. If you keep checking your email to see if you've gotten an important message, you can say you check it continually. The adverb continually is good for describing something you do repeatedly, or on a regular basis. Your little brother, for example, might complain continually that he's hungry for ice cream. The word continuously is easy to confuse with continually — when you do something continually, you take breaks in between, but when you do it continuously, you don't stop at all. Both come from a Latin root, continuare, or "join together."
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.
To make this possible, the evidence of experts needs to be continually discredited.
From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026
I continually said, “No, we’ve got to go back and do it again. We’ve got to rewrite that episode. We’ve gotta redo this whole section,” as it felt so personal to me.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
Vail Resorts MTN 1.36%increase; green up pointing triangle once again cut its outlook for the year, citing historically challenging weather conditions across the western U.S. that have continually damped demand.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
The spokesperson added that "as conversations around younger consumers and skincare continue to evolve", they are continually enhancing "the quality of advice provided by our beauty consultants to better support and guide all our consumers".
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Hoyle favored a steady-state theory in which the universe was constantly expanding and continually creating new matter as it went.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
