Jump To:

• continental
  continental

  adjective

  of or of the nature of a continent.
• Continental
  Continental

  adjective

  of or characteristic of Europe, excluding the British Isles

continental

American  

[kon-tn-en-tl] / ˌkɒn tnˈɛn tl /

adjective

1. of or of the nature of a continent.

2. (usually initial capital letter) of or relating to the mainland of Europe, to Europeans, or to European customs and attitudes.

3. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the 13 original American colonies during and immediately after the American Revolution.

4. of or relating to the continent of North America.

---

noun

continentals plural

1. (initial capital letter) a soldier of the Continental Army in the American Revolution.

2. a piece of paper currency issued by the Continental Congress during the American Revolution.

3. a small amount.

   advice that's not worth a continental.

4. an inhabitant of a continent.

5. (usually initial capital letter) an inhabitant of the mainland of Europe.

Continental British  

/ ˌkɒntɪˈnɛntəl /

adjective

1. of or characteristic of Europe, excluding the British Isles

2. of or relating to the 13 original British North American colonies during and immediately after the War of American Independence

---

noun

1. (sometimes not capital) an inhabitant of Europe, excluding the British Isles

2. a regular soldier of the rebel army during the War of American Independence

3. history a currency note issued by the Continental Congress

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Continentalism
  noun
• Continentalist
  noun
• noncontinental
  adjective
• precontinental
  adjective
• continentally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• continentals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of continental

First recorded in 1750–60; continent + -al ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

continental Continental continentals

Speaking on a press call, BMW CEO Milan Nedeljkovic said the company was preparing for Chinese competitors to arrive in Europe even if the impact on BMW's continental sales had been limited so far.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

This prehistoric creature has survived ice ages, the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs, and continental drift.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

When sea levels were high, shallow continental shelves covered a larger area.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

Donovan highlighted that the issue is not that the U.K. is losing its population of millionaires, but that growth is happening from an already large base in comparison with continental Europe.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

None had ever been found to be older than about 175 million years, which was a puzzle because continental rocks were often billions of years old.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

He was later clocked driving his Bentley Continental GT at 82mph in a 70mph limit on the A50 Rudhall Overbridge, also in Herefordshire, on 22 December.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

What he did possess, however, was the confidence of the financial community the bank was meant to harness and serve—confidence the Continental Congress desperately needed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

For Peil, who last year completed a traineeship at tyre-maker and industrial supplier Continental before it spun off its automotive business, the crisis meant it was clear he would not be taken on.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

Continental Development executive Bob Tarnofsky said the team learned about “previously undisclosed higher decommissioning and demolition costs, a more complicated approval process, and greater environmental risk mitigation” after submitting the proposal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Soon after taking command of the Continental Army in July 1775, for example, he learned that his soldiers had only 36 barrels of gunpowder—about nine shots for each man.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

"If you don't do this and let the continentals get ahead, then they will start to undermine the cement ... which is clearing, settlement and transactions," Hodson said.

From Reuters ● Sep. 2, 2021

Britain used to be seen by continentals as quirky and occasionally awkward - but reliably pragmatic on the economy.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2017

Even among continentals, the post-Brexit fall of the pound seems to have compensated for whatever affront they may have taken.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2016

A complaint many continentals and Britons north of Oxford often make of those in between.

From Economist ● Oct. 19, 2012

The prejudice that islanders are supposed to learn from superior continentals wasn’t the sole reason why record-breaking Japanese pottery caused such a shock.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• global
• multicultural