# discontinuous

CEFR C1 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/discontinuous
Updated: 2026-10-16

## Definition

having breaks or gaps instead of continuing smoothly without stopping. You use it for lines, sounds, or paths that stop and start again.

For teachers: interrupted by breaks, gaps, or sudden changes rather than continuing smoothly. In mathematics, describes a function or curve with one or more points where it breaks or jumps.

## Examples

- The path becomes discontinuous behind the hill.
- The hiking trail turns discontinuous where floods wash away the markers and break the route.
- The historical record remains discontinuous across the war years, with missing letters and broken timelines that force scholars to fill the gaps with care.

## Synonyms

intermittent, broken, disconnected, fragmented, sporadic

## Antonyms

continuous, uninterrupted, unbroken

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.