incessant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- incessancy noun
- incessantly adverb
- incessantness noun
Etymology
Origin of incessant
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English incessaunte, from Late Latin incessant-, equivalent to Latin in- negative prefix + cessant- (stem of cessāns ), present participle of cessāre “to stop work”; in- 3, cease, -ant
Explanation
Something incessant continues without interruption. When you're on a cross-country flight, it's tough to tolerate the incessant crying of a baby. In Latin, cessare means "to stop," so when you add the negative prefix in-, you get a word meaning "never stopping." A near synonym is continual, but something incessant is more relentless; ceaseless is a closer synonym. It's rare to find incessant used in a positive way. Even incessant sunshine would grow boring.
Vocabulary lists containing incessant
Do-Over: Words For Groundhog Day
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The Diary of a Young Girl
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List 8
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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.
Although an emergency room can keep someone safe, many autistic people find its bright lights, incessant noise and unfamiliarity to be more distressing than helpful.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
In a California case, lawyers argued that Instagram and YouTube designed features meant to get their client, a young woman identified as KGM, addicted to social media, including infinite scroll, autoplay, and incessant notifications.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
Behold “tech neck,” a name for those horizontal neck lines that develop across your neck with age and apparently worsen with incessant smartphone use.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Instead of incessant strobes and Charli clad in a slinky skirt, performing solo with no choreography, Johannes proposes backup dancers, green glitter, high wires and harnesses.
From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026
I’m continually being scolded for my incessant chatter when I’m upstairs.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
