What does "continuous" mean?

1. (without stopping) happening for a long time without any breaks or interruptions. 2. (without gaps) forming a single line or surface without any spaces or holes. 3. (grammar) used to describe verb forms that show an action is still happening. 4. (mathematics) describing a line or function on a graph that has no sudden jumps.

How do you use "continuous"?

In many English textbooks, this is synonymous with the 'progressive' aspect.

Is it correct to say "The continuous rain caused a flood."?

No — say "The continual rain caused a flood.". Use 'continuous' for something that never stops for a second. Use 'continual' for something that happens again and again with small breaks.

continuous

adj.

US //kənˈtɪnjuəs// UK //kəntˈɪnjuːəs// con·tin·u·ous

1 without stopping (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

happening for a long time without any breaks or interruptions.

forming an unbroken whole in time; occurring without cessation.

Example

The continuous noise from the construction site made it hard to sleep.

Example

The factory has been in continuous operation for over fifty years, never once shutting down its main assembly line.
- uninterrupted
- constant
- non stop
- intermittent
- broken
Pitfall

The continuous rain caused a flood.

The continual rain caused a flood.

Use 'continuous' for something that never stops for a second. Use 'continual' for something that happens again and again with small breaks.
2 without gaps (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

forming a single line or surface without any spaces or holes.

forming an unbroken physical sequence or spatial extent.

Example

The artist drew a continuous line across the paper without lifting her pen.

Example

The property is surrounded by a continuous stone wall that stretches for several miles along the coast.
- detached
- gapped

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3 grammar (adj.)
B1 Intermediate Technical

used to describe verb forms that show an action is still happening.

denoting a grammatical aspect that describes an action or state in progress at a specific time.

Example

In the sentence 'I am eating,' the verb is in the present continuous tense.

Example

Learners often struggle to distinguish between the present simple for habits and the present continuous for actions occurring at the moment of speaking.

Usage

In many English textbooks, this is synonymous with the 'progressive' aspect.
- progressive
- simple
4 mathematics (adj.)
C1 Advanced Technical Math

describing a line or function on a graph that has no sudden jumps.

describing a function for which small changes in the input result in small changes in the output, having no discontinuities.

Example

A continuous function can be drawn on a graph without ever lifting your pencil.

Example

The theorem only applies if the underlying function is continuous over the entire closed interval.
- discrete

Origin

From Latin continuus, from contineō (“hold together”). Displaced native Old English singal.

Word family

Adjectivecontinuous
Adverbcontinuously