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.
The first duty of a government, countless leaders over the decades have said, is to safeguard its population.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
He wrote 22 books, countless liner notes, and hosted three radio shows on Sirius XM: “Live from E Street Nation,” “Live from the Land of Hopes and Dreams,” and “Kick Out The Jams.”
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and co-chief executive of techbio company Insilico, is among the scientists who have devoted countless hours to studying aging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
In Nanjie, countless murals of the former Chinese leader are plastered around the village.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
He wouldn’t think to tell me of Willa’s visit, but understands that I’ve spent countless hours revisiting that final hug?
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
