incessant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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”; see 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.
There are also psychological and behavioral reasons why incessant checking of your portfolio occurs — and why it can be counterproductive.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
For hospital patients, the incessant beeping and buzzing of alarms from monitors, pumps and other devices can make sleep almost impossible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
You know, that place at the end of the Padres’ incessant “Beat L.A.” chants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
It feels inevitable that I’ve started to internalize its ticks, even the most infamous ones, like incessant em-dashing and overreliance on the “It’s not x but y” structure.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
There was no end to this incessant exploring, finding new sites, going on ICQ and Hotline Connect to trade or play chess.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
