interminable
Americanadjective
-
incapable of being terminated; unending.
an interminable job.
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monotonously or annoyingly protracted or continued; unceasing; incessant.
I can't stand that interminable clatter.
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having no limits.
an interminable desert.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of interminable
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English word from Late Latin word interminābilis. See in- 3, terminable
Explanation
Use interminable to describe something that has or seems to have no end. Your math class. Your sister's violin recital. A babysitting job where five kids are going through your purse and the parents didn't leave a number. Something that is interminable is often boring, annoying, or hard to bear, such as an interminable noise. A near synonym is incessant, which also refers to something unpleasant that continues without stopping. It descends from the Latin prefix in-, "not," terminare, "to end," and the suffix -abilis, "able to." Latin terminare is also the source of the English verb terminate, "to end" and the corresponding noun termination, "an act of ending something."
Vocabulary lists containing interminable
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Lord of the Flies
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"The Lottery," Vocabulary from the short story
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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.
For seven weeks last year, it seemed the interminable battle over the seashore had finally come to an end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Flight delays, interminable waits on the tarmac—Booking.com CEO Glenn Fogel knows all about travel frustrations firsthand: “You can’t believe you even bothered.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The ceremony, per tabloid reporting, was interminable, with both bride and groom delivering a 20-minute set of vows.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Colm Hogan’s cinematography has handsome, rich shadows. but what’s best about it — and the pace of Brian Philip Davis’ editing — is they reward close attention without slumping into those interminable, inevitable jump scares.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
It would be reasonable to suppose that a routine time or an eventless time would seem interminable.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
