endless
Americanadjective
-
having or seeming to have no end, limit, or conclusion; boundless; infinite; interminable; incessant.
an endless series of complaints; Time is endless.
- Synonyms:
- perpetual, continuous, unceasing, unending, illimitable, limitless
-
made continuous, as by joining the two ends of a single length.
an endless chain or belt.
adjective
-
having or seeming to have no end; eternal or infinite
-
continuing too long or continually recurring
-
formed with the ends joined
an endless belt
Related Words
See eternal.
Other Word Forms
- endlessly adverb
- endlessness noun
- quasi-endless adjective
- quasi-endlessly adverb
Etymology
Origin of endless
First recorded before 900; Middle English endelees, Old English endelēas. See end 1, -less
Explanation
Things that are endless go on forever, or at least appear to. The ocean looks endless when you sail out of sight of the shore. Endless things are infinite — your love for someone might be endless, and the mathematical symbol of infinity represents an endless number. You're most likely to use this adjective to describe things that only seem to last forever, like an endless meeting at work or an endless commute during rush hour. The Old English root of endless is endeleas, "boundless or eternal."
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.
When I ask about it, he stares out at the Thames for what feels like an endless stretch of silence.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
A seemingly endless string of corporate mergers, over time, starved the Chrysler name of resources and different models to sell.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Lyrical saint Nick Cave was more caustic — notoriously so — when he shared how he felt about these boys of California’s endless summer.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
"Squids and cuttlefish have so many unique features compared to other animal groups, making them an endless source of inspiration for scientists," says Prof. Daniel Rokhsar, head of the Molecular Genetics Unit.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
I sat quietly in our hideout while rain began to stream outside and plop inside, watching the endless ripple of raindrops on water, thinking of the boy by the river.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
