interminable
Americanadjective
-
incapable of being terminated; unending.
an interminable job.
-
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
Derived 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.
Interminable waits at A&E. The difficulty getting an appointment with the doctor.
From BBC • Jul. 18, 2023
Interminable hours spent making a trip from my desk to my dining room seem like Frodo Baggins taking the One Ring to Mount Doom.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2023
Interminable arguments between rich and poor nations over who bears responsibility.
From New York Times • Aug. 14, 2021
“Talk amongst Arsenal fans is turning into the Quiz Show of Interminable Questions,” says Charles Antaki.
From The Guardian • Dec. 13, 2020
Interminable minutes followed, and at length Mrs. McRankine entered with my ball suit from the tailor’s.
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 20 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis
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.
