continual
kuhn-TIN-yoo-uhl
/kənˈtɪnjuəl/
Frequently recurring; always happening.
Implies a series of repeated actions with small gaps in between. It is often used for annoying or habitual things.
The story behind the word. Like 'continuous', it comes from 'tenere', but it entered English through Old French, where it took on the sense of 'persistent' or 'repeated'.
Word relationships
- recurrent: Recurrent sounds more clinical or technical; continual sounds more everyday.
- frequent: Frequent just means 'often'; continual implies it feels like it never ends because of the repetition.
- occasional: Occasional means happening only once in a while.
- sporadic: Sporadic implies no predictable pattern at all.
Commonly confused with
- continuous: Continuous is a circle or a line; continual is a series of dots.
Word family
- continually (adverb): Repeatedly and frequently.
Collocations
- continual complaints
- continual updates
- continual fear
Example sentences
- "The continual interruptions from his colleagues made it impossible to finish the report." Describing workplace distractions.
- "The continual rains of the tropics are not like the steady drizzles of the north." A classic literary description of weather.
Memory hook
Continual ends in 'AL', like 'Always Loop'. It loops back and starts again. A leaky faucet (drip... drip... drip).
When not to use
Do not use for a single, unbroken event like a 24-hour rainstorm (that is continuous).
Fun facts
- Many style guides now accept 'continuous' and 'continual' as synonyms, but careful writers still maintain the distinction to avoid ambiguity.
Related words
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