continuously
Americanadverb
-
without interruption or cessation; unceasingly.
To remain eligible for scholarship aid, a student must remain continuously enrolled at an educational institution located in the state.
-
in a directly connected way.
A mountainous spine, the Great Dividing Range, extends almost continuously from Far North Queensland to Victoria.
Other Word Forms
- noncontinuously adverb
- quasi-continuously adverb
- semicontinuously adverb
- uncontinuously adverb
Etymology
Origin of continuously
Explanation
Something that happens continuously doesn't stop. If you enter a dance marathon, dancing continuously for an entire day, it means that you keep dancing — without even one break — for 24 hours. The Latin root of continuously is continuare, or "join together, or connect."Anything that's done continuously happens without any interruption. When it rains continuously for three days, there isn't a single dry moment during that time, and if your friend laughs continuously for ten minutes, you'll start to worry that there's something seriously wrong with her.
Vocabulary lists containing continuously
Memorial Day Words
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ly
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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.
“One that is immediately visible in global markets, continuously exercisable, and less dependent on prolonged negotiation cycles and diplomatic processes.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
The status is granted by the Pan American Health Organization, and the U.S. can only maintain it if it can prove that the virus has not circulated continuously in the nation for a year straight.
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026
Damburger, he said, is one of the oldest continuously operating smashburger restaurants in California.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
The result was a continuously updated and standardized system of record across an entire organization.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
Clearly, the body could not be manufacturing that much blood and there must really be a lot less continuously circling through the veins and arteries of the body.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
