continuous

[ kuh n-tin-yoo-uh s ]
/ kənˈtɪn yu əs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR continuous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

uninterrupted in time; without cessation: continuous coughing during the concert.
being in immediate connection or spatial relationship: a continuous series of blasts; a continuous row of warehouses.
Grammar. progressive(def 7).

Origin of continuous

1635–45; < Latin continuus uninterrupted, equivalent to contin(ēre) to hold together, retain ( con- con- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold; cf. contain) + -uus deverbal adj. suffix; cf. -ous, contiguous

usage note for continuous

See continual.

OTHER WORDS FROM continuous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH continuous

continual continuous intermittent (see usage note at continual)

Words nearby continuous

continuity, continuity announcer, continuity equation, continuity girl, continuo, continuous, continuous assessment, continuous bar retainer, continuous capillary, continuous casting, continuous creation

Words related to continuous

extended, unceasing, steady, repeated, regular, stable, uninterrupted, unbroken, endless, continued, connected, consecutive, everlasting, interminable, perpetual, prolonged, timeless, undivided, unfaltering, looped

Example sentences from the Web for continuous

British Dictionary definitions for continuous

continuous
/ (kənˈtɪnjʊəs) /

adjective

prolonged without interruption; unceasing a continuous noise
in an unbroken series or pattern
maths (of a function or curve) changing gradually in value as the variable changes in value. A function f is continuous if at every value a of the independent variable the difference between f(x) and f(a) approaches zero as x approaches a Compare discontinuous (def. 2) See also limit (def. 5)
statistics (of a variable) having a continuum of possible values so that its distribution requires integration rather than summation to determine its cumulative probability Compare discrete (def. 3)
grammar another word for progressive (def. 8)

Derived forms of continuous

continuously, adverb continuousness, noun

Word Origin for continuous

C17: from Latin continuus, from continēre to hold together, contain

usage for continuous

Both continual and continuous can be used to say that something continues without interruption, but only continual can correctly be used to say that something keeps happening repeatedly

Medical definitions for continuous

continuous
[ kən-tĭn′yōō-əs ]

adj.

Uninterrupted in time, sequence, substance, or extent.
Attached together in repeated units.

Scientific definitions for continuous

continuous
[ kən-tĭn′yōō-əs ]

Relating to a line or curve that extends without a break or irregularity.
A function in which changes, however small, to any x-value result in small changes to the corresponding y-value, without sudden jumps. Technically, a function is continuous at the point c if it meets the following condition: for any positive number ε, however small, there exists a positive number δ such that for all x within the distance δ from c, the value of f(x) will be within the distance ε from f(c). Polynomials, exponential functions, and trigonometric functions are examples of continuous functions.