continuous

[ kuhn-tin-yoo-uhs ]

/ kənˈtɪn yu əs /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: continuous / continuously / continuousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

uninterrupted in time; without cessation: continuous coughing during the concert.

being in immediate connection or spatial relationship: a continuous series of blasts; a continuous row of warehouses.

Grammar. progressive (def. 8).

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of continuous

First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin continuus “uninterrupted,” equivalent to contin(ēre) “to hold together, retain” (con- con- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre “to hold”; cf. contain) + -uus adjective suffix; cf. -ous, contiguous

words often confused with continuous

See continual.

OTHER WORDS FROM continuous

con·tin·u·ous·ly, adverbcon·tin·u·ous·ness, nounnon·con·tin·u·ous, adjectivenon·con·tin·u·ous·ness, noun

qua·si-con·tin·u·ous, adjectivesem·i·con·tin·u·ous, adjectiveun·con·tin·u·ous, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH continuous

continual, continuous (see confusables note at continual)

Words nearby continuous

continuity, continuity announcer, continuity equation, continuity girl, continuo, continuous, continuous assessment, continuous casting, continuous creation, continuous cutter, continuous-expansion engine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use continuous in a sentence

It’s no secret that small businesses everywhere face a continuous struggle for survival as they compete against national chains and online competition.
Myths and Shame Shouldn’t Guide Cannabis Regulations|John Bertsch|September 8, 2020|Voice of San Diego
During her FKT attempt, she received continuous en route support from Warren Doyle, a nine-time AT finisher and founder of the Appalachian Trail Institute—a preparatory program for aspiring thru-hikers.
Inside an FKT Attempt on the Appalachian Trail|Martin Fritz Huber|September 3, 2020|Outside Online
Through Medicare, if a patient is terminally ill and has a life expectancy of six months or less, they can access on-call nursing assistance, medical equipment and prescriptions, as well as continuous care in crisis moments when symptoms flare.
Sent Home to Die|by Annie Waldman and Joshua Kaplan|September 2, 2020|ProPublica
Our lineup of founders include Sonny Vu, whose last startup, Misfit, was acquired by Apple, and is currently the chief executive officer of continuous carbon-fiber 3D printing company Arevo.
Presenting TechCrunch Disrupt’s Asia sessions|Catherine Shu|August 28, 2020|TechCrunch

The unit’s travel size doesn’t leave room for many features, but it can be set to deliver single, double, or triple pulses of water, or a continuous stream.
Water flossers that get between your teeth|PopSci Commerce Team|August 27, 2020|Popular-Science
The director, Jonathan Demme, offers us a continuous rock experience that keeps building, becoming ever more intense and euphoric.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael's Talking Heads Obsession|Pauline Kael|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There had been continuous problems with the Pratt & Whitney engines.
The Sexy Dream of the 747|Clive Irving|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That really hit me, the continuous flow of ideas without stopping.
The Stacks: John Coltrane’s Mighty Musical Quest|Nat Hentoff|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The ensuing night gave me the grand migraine of my life, with throbs like the blows of an ax and continuous pinwheels.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After 57 years of continuous operation, the theater closed, was sold to a private company, and scheduled for demolition.
How to Save Silent Movies: Inside New Jersey’s Cinema Paradiso|Rich Goldstein|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Messrs. Jennens and Bettridge commenced in 1816, and improvements in the manufacture have been many and continuous.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
That the first part of this was probably quite true we can readily agree to, also that the out-put was continuous.
Antonio Stradivari|Horace William Petherick
After 24 hours' heavy and continuous fighting a substantial success has been achieved.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The west shore of Gidley Island appeared to be fronted by a continuous reef, on which some patches of dry rocks were observed.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
His secret thoughts he buried beneath a continuous mental preoccupation with the vain and the trivial.
The Man from Time|Frank Belknap Long

British Dictionary definitions for continuous

continuous

/ (kənˈtɪnjʊəs) /

adjective

prolonged without interruption; unceasinga continuous noise

in an unbroken series or pattern

maths (of a function or curve) changing gradually in value as the variable changes in value. A function f is continuous if at every value a of the independent variable the difference between f(x) and f(a) approaches zero as x approaches aCompare discontinuous (def. 2) See also limit (def. 5)

statistics (of a variable) having a continuum of possible values so that its distribution requires integration rather than summation to determine its cumulative probabilityCompare discrete (def. 3)

grammar another word for progressive (def. 8)

Derived forms of continuous

continuously, adverbcontinuousness, noun

Word Origin for continuous

C17: from Latin continuus, from continēre to hold together, contain

usage for continuous

Both continual and continuous can be used to say that something continues without interruption, but only continual can correctly be used to say that something keeps happening repeatedly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for continuous

continuous

[ kən-tĭn′yōō-əs ]

Relating to a line or curve that extends without a break or irregularity.

A function in which changes, however small, to any x-value result in small changes to the corresponding y-value, without sudden jumps. Technically, a function is continuous at the point c if it meets the following condition: for any positive number ε, however small, there exists a positive number δ such that for all x within the distance δ from c, the value of f(x) will be within the distance ε from f(c). Polynomials, exponential functions, and trigonometric functions are examples of continuous functions.

continuous

COMPARE MEANINGS

Origin of continuous

words often confused with continuous

OTHER WORDS FROM continuous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH continuous

Words nearby continuous

Words related to continuous

How to use continuous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for continuous

Derived forms of continuous

Word Origin for continuous

usage for continuous

Scientific definitions for continuous