continuity

American  

[kon-tn-oo-i-tee, -tn-yoo] / ˌkɒn tnˈu ɪ ti, -tnˈju /

noun

• continuities
  plural

1. the state or quality of being continuous.

2. a continuous or connected whole.

   Synonyms:

   progression, flow

3. a motion-picture scenario giving the complete action, scenes, etc., in detail and in the order in which they are to be shown on the screen.

4. the spoken part of a radio or television script that serves as introductory or transitional material on a nondramatic program.

5. Mathematics. the property of a continuous function.

6. Usually continuities. sets of merchandise, as dinnerware or encyclopedias, given free or sold cheaply by a store to shoppers as a sales promotion.

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continuity British  

/ ˌkɒntɪˈnjuːɪtɪ /

noun

1. logical sequence, cohesion, or connection

2. a continuous or connected whole

3. the comprehensive script or scenario of detail and movement in a film or broadcast

4. the continuous projection of a film, using automatic rewind

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncontinuity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• continuities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of continuity

1375–1425; late Middle English continuite < Anglo-French < Latin continuitās, equivalent to continu ( us ) continuous + -itās -ity

Explanation

Continuity has to do with how things happen over time: if there aren't any bumps or breaks and everything goes on continuously, then there's continuity. Continuity has to do with consistency. If you have the same Spanish teacher for several semesters, that's great continuity. If you have five different teachers in one year, that's awful continuity. In TV and movies, continuity involves keeping the plot and characters consistent from one scene to the next. It drives fans crazy when a character is allergic to peanuts in one episode, and then eats a peanut butter sandwich in the next one.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

continuity continuities

"The priority is to ensure continuity of health services," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

She can’t imagine starting over with someone who doesn’t know her history, so she pays for the continuity of care.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

Theo Walcott: They have got the biggest advantage of all - continuity.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has nominated acting Bank Indonesia Governor Destry Damayanti as the sole candidate to lead the central bank, a move that could signal policy continuity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

But throughout the mad dance of inanimate objects the continuity of Desdemona’s shifting body remains at center.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

The present war exhibits major continuities with the past.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

The museum has deconstructed the traditional, boxy narrative of art history and rendered the story itself a matter of curves and continuities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

There's an understandable but in some ways obsessive focus on very small changes that have occurred over the past several decades, and that tends to obscure the longer-term continuities.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2023

But Simon astutely observes that despite the heightened rhetoric, the surprising continuities between various administrations over the years outweigh the differences.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2023

Everywhere in Browning the slow continuities of existence are obscured by vivid moments,—the counterpart of his bursts of sunlight through rifts and chinks.

From Robert Browning by C. H. (Charles Harold) Herford

Related Words

• cohesion
• constancy
• continuum
• durability
• persistence
• stability
• stamina
• survival
• unity
• vitality