interminable

American  

[in-tur-muh-nuh-buhl] / ɪnˈtɜr mə nə bəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being terminated; unending.

   an interminable job.

2. monotonously or annoyingly protracted or continued; unceasing; incessant.

   I can't stand that interminable clatter.

3. having no limits.

   an interminable desert.

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interminable British  

/ ɪnˈtɜːmɪnəbəl /

adjective

1. endless or seemingly endless because of monotony or tiresome length

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Other Word Forms

• interminability noun
• interminableness noun
• interminably adverb

Etymology

Origin of interminable

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English word from Late Latin word interminābilis. See in- ³, terminable

Example Sentences

“We all had to wait. It was interminable. The war was over but still we had to ration everything. The opera didn’t return for an entire season!”

From Literature

I had to stop and convince myself I was still in the same world, that this moment really was part of the same interminable day, now finally at an end.

From Literature

In December he was convicted of sedition and colluding with foreigners after an interminable trial that seemed designed to drag out his punishment.

From The Wall Street Journal

On Monday, Jan. 19, No. 1 ranked Indiana will finish an astonishing if interminable college football season by playing 10th-ranked Miami for the national championship.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some matches drag on in interminable tedium, others are over in the blink of an eye.

From BBC

Related Words

• boundless
• continuous
• endless
• eternal
• incessant
• limitless
• long-winded
• never-ending
• perpetual
• protracted