continuum

American  

[kuhn-tin-yoo-uhm] / kənˈtɪn yu əm /

noun

plural

continua

1. a continuous extent, series, or whole.

2. Mathematics.

   1. a set of elements such that between any two of them there is a third element.

   2. the set of all real numbers.

   3. any compact, connected set containing at least two elements.

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continuum British  

/ kənˈtɪnjʊəm /

noun

1. a continuous series or whole, no part of which is perceptibly different from the adjacent parts

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Etymology

Origin of continuum

1640–50; < Latin, noun use of neuter of continuus continuous

Explanation

A continuum is something that keeps on going, changing slowly over time, like the continuum of the four seasons. In addition to meaning "a whole made up of many parts," continuum, pronounced "kon-TIN-yoo-um," can describe a range that is always present. For example, in a high school, at any time, there are students who are learning algebra, then advancing to geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. Just as the ninth graders master their particular math, they move on to the next one, as new ninth graders enter the school and the seniors graduate.

Example Sentences

Sovereignty and openness aren’t opposites; they lie on a continuum.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

"I'm outgoing and very confident and I love being around people," Auer says, "but I get that inkling that they all think I'm stupid and ugly, and that my life is a continuum of mistakes."

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

“But AI is a continuum of technologies, it’s not one thing.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

And general relativity presents a four-dimensional continuum that bends and curves -- we tend to imagine that continuum of the events as really existing.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

But in the deepest infinity—nestled within the vast continuum of numbers—zero kept appearing.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• continuity