continuum
Americannoun
plural
continua-
a continuous extent, series, or whole.
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Mathematics.
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a set of elements such that between any two of them there is a third element.
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the set of all real numbers.
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any compact, connected set containing at least two elements.
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noun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing continuum
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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A Mango-Shaped Space
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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.
"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
“Alfie” is whisperingly intimate, with Kirk concentrating on just the tenor, and taking his place in the continuum of master balladeers like Ben Webster and Don Byas.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026
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
"The meeting will be a data point along an existing continuum rather than an inflection point in the relationship," said Ryan Hass, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
From Barron's • Oct. 24, 2025
He needed to dig deeper to understand where the lure of technology fit on this continuum.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
