Word family noun continuation ≠ discontinuation continuity ≠ discontinuity adjective continual continued ≠ discontinued continuous ≠ discontinuous verb continue ≠ discontinue adverb continually continuously
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcontinualcon‧tin‧u‧al /kənˈtɪnjuəl/ ●●○ adjective [only before noun] 1 CONTINUOUScontinuing for a long time without stopping SYN constant five weeks of continual rain the Japanese business philosophy of continual improvement2 KEEP DOING somethingrepeated many times, often in a way that is harmful or annoying SYN constant She has endured house arrest and continual harassment by the police. —continually adverb We are continually reassessing the situation.THESAURUScontinual continuing for a long time without stopping, or happening many times in a way that is annoying or causes problemsThere has been a continual improvement in standards.There were continual interruptions all day.The couple were having continual arguments and they decided that the best thing to do was to split up.continuous continuing without stoppinga continuous process of change I've had six continuous hours of meetings.The machines have remained in continuous service over the last six years without any problem.constant used when saying that something does not stop or always stays the same, or that something keeps happening. Constant is often used about things that are worrying, frightening, or difficultThere is a constant stream of water coming out of the ground.The plane was traveling at a constant speed of 650 kilometres an hour.The refugees live in constant fear of attack.There is always the constant threat of war.His illness makes life a constant struggle for him and his parents. The photographs are a constant reminder (=something that makes you keep remembering something) of what happened in Bosnia. uninterrupted [only before noun] continuing for a long time without anything stopping it – used especially when it is important for something to continueWomen with small babies seldom get more than two or three hours of uninterrupted sleep.The nation has enjoyed nine years of uninterrupted economic growth.The system helps to maintain an uninterrupted flow of traffic. an uninterrupted view of the mountainsnon-stop adjective, adverb continuing for a long time without stopping – used especially about rain, journeys, work, or entertainmenttwo days of nonstop raina nonstop flight to TokyoThe concert will be seven hours of non-stop entertainment. They worked non-stop.on-going if work or a situation is on-going, it will continue into the future, though there will be pauses in itThe police said the investigation is on-going. ongoing negotiationssolid [only before noun] used when emphasizing that you do something all through a period of time, with no breaks at allAfter eight solid hours of driving, I was exhausted.It took two solid weeks of work to fix the tunnel. Examples from the Corpus
continual• We were kept awake by the continual buzz of small planes overhead.• Between 783 and 785 there was continual conflict across Saxony.• Perhaps without Miss Philimore's continual criticism she might become an asset to the shop.• Simply by growing larger, creatures suffer a continual decrease in relative surface area.• The exhaustion felt by new parents comes from the continual disturbance of their sleep patterns.• Added to this, a continual downward pressure on prices forces farmers to provide even more for even less.• The hostages lived in continual fear of violent death.• They were found to require continual maintenance as the support environment for specific products changed over time.• The continual news reports about the economy have scared many manufacturers.• The day before F's death the prisoner who had attacked him was moved into a nearby cell, albeit under continual observation.• However, the rape was only the worst in a continual pattern of gross disrespect for others.• The deadline was getting closer and we were under continual pressure to reach our targets. 