continuum

noun

con·​tin·​u·​um kən-ˈtin-yü-əm 

plural continua kən-ˈtin-yü-ə  also continuums

1

: a coherent whole characterized as a collection, sequence, or progression of values or elements varying by minute degrees

"good" and "bad" … stand at opposite ends of a continuum instead of describing the two halves of a line

—Wayne Shumaker

2

: the set of real numbers including both the rationals and the irrationals

broadly : a compact set which cannot be separated into two sets neither of which contains a limit point of the other

Examples of continuum in a Sentence

His motives for volunteering lie somewhere on the continuum between charitable and self-serving.

a continuum of temperatures ranging from very cold to very hot

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike the Soviet state, which continued, until its collapse, to celebrate the overthrow of tsarist Russia, President Vladimir Putin proclaims the 1,000-year history of Russia as a continuum of impeccable greatness with the Soviet victory in World War II as the pinnacle of Russian glory. —Pavel Khazanov, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024

Today, Chida, 38, is Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief deputy Cabinet secretary, a key member of the team building an ambitious plan to reshape public education through a $50-billion continuum of services to create a healthy foundation for children and a path to meaningful jobs at the end. —Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024

Apart from faith, there is a wide continuum of different views on what can or could be done. —Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

Discover a new perspective on language’s evolution, challenging traditional views and highlighting a continuum of communicative abilities. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024

Most of the digital-plus-physical experiences that companies might call spatial computing, the metaverse, mixed reality, blah blah blah, are on a continuum between virtual reality and augmented reality. —Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024

Some analysts suggest that the show is the very embodiment of Mr. Putin’s electoral program, aiming to knit Russia’s past and present into a single continuum of great achievements, with the emphasis on building a bright, unified, and prosperous future. —Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Jan. 2024

Containing Russia should be conceptualized—and celebrated—as a steady continuum of action that started before February 2022 and came into its own with the Ukrainian defense of Kyiv and battlefield advances in the fall of 2022. —Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 28 Nov. 2023

The dish exists within the larger continuum of Mexican meals maximizing tortillas and salsa. —Bryan Washington, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin, noun derivative from neuter of Latin continuus continuous

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

continuum

noun

con·​tin·​u·​um kən-ˈtin-yə-wəm 

plural continuua

-yə-wə

also continuums

: something that is continuous and the same throughout and that is often thought of as a series of elements or values which differ by only tiny amounts

"light" and "dark" stand at opposite ends of a continuum