countless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of countless
Explanation
Countless means more than you could possibly count. If you have countless reasons why you love living in New York, there are so many reasons that you can't list them all. Countless is a good adjective to use when you want to emphasize how endless, huge, or immeasurable something is. Your could say that smoke detectors save countless lives each year, or that your principal has tried countless times to ban soda at school, only to be outvoted by the student council over and over. The word dates from the 16th century, from the verb count, with its Old French root, conter, "add up."
Vocabulary lists containing countless
Much Ado: Synonyms for "Many"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 6
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"Dogs at Work"
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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.
Nutrients must reach the places where they are needed, waste products must be transported away, and countless chemical reactions must occur in a liquid environment.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The strategy worked for countless previous storms but unfortunately not the latest one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Slate’s three decades have seen countless beginner’s guides, staff recommendations, tabulations of game-night commercials, and “Completist” roundups of everything from Pepperidge Farm cookies to Super Bowls.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
Prime Minister Andy Burnham led the tributes, saying the veteran broadcaster had "changed countless lives".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Lush purple orchids hung beside the explosive pink, gold, and orange petals of countless wildflowers.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
