continuous
continuous Lexical Profile
continuous Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Forming an unbroken whole across time or space, without any interruption, pause, or gap.
"The patient requires continuous monitoring in the intensive care unit over the next twenty-four hours."
Of a mathematical function or variable: changing smoothly without abrupt jumps or breaks, or capable of assuming any value within a given range.
"In calculus, every differentiable function is necessarily continuous across its domain."
In grammar, denoting a verb aspect or tense that expresses an ongoing action in progress at a specific time.
"English learners often practice the present continuous tense to describe actions happening right now."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'continuous' with 'continual': 'continuous' describes something that occurs without any pause or interruption whatsoever (such as a continuous hum), whereas 'continual' describes an action that recurs frequently with brief intervals in between (such as continual phone calls).
• Rhymes for continuous
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Latin 'continuus' ('uninterrupted, holding together'), derived from 'continere' ('to hold together'), from 'con-' ('together') and 'tenere' ('to hold').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.