continuity
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being continuous.
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a continuous or connected whole.
- Synonyms:
- progression, flow
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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.
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the spoken part of a radio or television script that serves as introductory or transitional material on a nondramatic program.
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Mathematics. the property of a continuous function.
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Usually continuities. sets of merchandise, as dinnerware or encyclopedias, given free or sold cheaply by a store to shoppers as a sales promotion.
noun
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logical sequence, cohesion, or connection
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a continuous or connected whole
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the comprehensive script or scenario of detail and movement in a film or broadcast
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the continuous projection of a film, using automatic rewind
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing continuity
Lesson 2
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Vocabulary from the Wisdom and Work of Nadine Gordimer (1923-2014)
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AB Calculus
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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.
"Continuity is built into the system and its institutions and so far, there is no indication that the collapse of the Islamic republic is imminent."
From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026
Doug Baumoel, whose Boston-based consulting firm, Continuity LLC, focuses on resolving conflict among family business owners, says values exercises work best when the values family members choose are ones they actually practice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 19, 2025
Continuity of selection has become an issue; Wales have only four starters from the side that lost to South Africa in November.
From BBC • Jan. 31, 2025
Continuity cannot guarantee a long postseason run, but the Clippers are living proof a lack of it will almost certainly doom one.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2024
Continuity of religion One of Chateaubriand's critics says that his plea could be advanced on behalf of any religion; and Plutarch had already made it on behalf of his own.
From The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire by Glover, T. R. (Terrot Reaveley)
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.
