continuousuninterrupted in time: continuous ticking of a clock. [These words are often used without any distinction in meaning, as are continually and continuously. To make a clear distinction, use the contrasting terms intermittent and uninterrupted.]Not to be confused with:continual ? intermittent; often repeated: continual chiming of a clockAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreecon·tin·u·ous (k?n-t?n?yo?o-?s)adj.1. Uninterrupted in time, sequence, substance, or extent. See Synonyms at continual.2. Attached together in repeated units: a continuous form fed into a printer.3. Mathematics a. Of or relating to a line or curve that extends without a break or irregularity.b. Of or relating to a function between two topological spaces such that the preimage of any open set in the range is an open set in the domain.[From Latin continuus; see continue.]con·tin?u·ous·ly adv.con·tin?u·ous·ness n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.continuous (k?n?t?nj??s) adj1. prolonged without interruption; unceasing: a continuous noise. 2. in an unbroken series or pattern3. (Mathematics) 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 discontinuous2 See also limit54. (Statistics) 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 discrete35. (Grammar) grammar another word for progressive8[C17: from Latin continuus, from contin?re to hold together, contain] con?tinuously adv con?tinuousness nUsage: 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 repeatedlyCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014con?tin?u?ous (k?n?t?n yu ?s) adj. 1. uninterrupted in time; without cessation: continuous noise during the movie. 2. being in immediate connection or spatial relationship: a continuous row of warehouses. 3. progressive (def. 9). [1635?45; You can use constant, continual, and continuous to describe things that happen or exist without stopping.You describe something as constant when it happens all the time or never goes away.Continual is usually used to describe something that happens often over a period of time. If something is continuous, it happens all the time without stopping, or seems to do so. For example, if you say ‘There was continual rain’, you mean that it rained often. If you say ‘There was continuous rain’, you mean that it did not stop raining.Continual can only be used in front of a noun. Don’t use it after a verb. Continuous can be used either in front of a noun or after a linking verb.If you are describing something undesirable which continues to happen or exist without stopping, it is better to use continual rather than continuous.If you are describing something undesirable which continues to happen or exist without stopping, it is better to use continual rather than continuous.