continent

1 of 2

noun

con·​ti·​nent ˈkän-tə-nənt 

ˈkänt-nənt

1

a

: one of the six or seven great divisions of land on the globe

b

Continent : the continent of Europe

—used with the

a tour of the Continent

2

: mainland

3

archaic : container, confines

4

archaic : epitome

continent

2 of 2

adjective

con·​ti·​nent ˈkän-tə-nənt 

1

: exercising continence

Most children are continent by the age of three.

2

obsolete : restrictive

continently adverb

Synonyms of continent

Noun

• mainland

Adjective

• temperate
• ascetic
• abstemious
• abstinent

Examples of continent in a Sentence

Noun

The book provides information on hotels in Britain and on the Continent.

Europe and Asia are sometimes considered together to be one continent.

Adjective

Most children are continent by age three.

a religious sect that expects its unmarried members to be completely celibate and its married adherents to maintain continent relationships

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Europe isthe world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising more than twice as fast as the global average. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 26 July 2026

Participants at the symposium also explored athletics, adult learners, career readiness, federal policy, international partnerships, alumni engagement, and philanthropy across the African continent. — Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

The salon is in Kibera, the African continent's largest slum, just a few miles from central Nairobi, Kenya's capital and largest city. — Raul Roman, NPR, 25 July 2026

But Greece is not as far from Africa as the North American continent is, and the modern construct of race, a pseudoscientific product of the Atlantic slave trade, would not be invented until thousands of years after Homer. — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

(senses 1-2) borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "land forming part of a continuous mass (as opposed to an island)," borrowed from Latin continent-, continens (short for terra continens), from continent-, continens, adjective, "uninterrupted, continuous, forming part of a continuous mass," from present participle of continēre "to hold together, restrain, have as contents"; (senses 3 & 4) probably borrowed from Medieval Latin continentia "container, content, tenor (of a document)," noun derivative of Latin continent-, continens, present participle of continēre — more at contain

Note: The regular outcome of Medieval Latin continentia following the rules for adopting such nouns in English would have been continence, but as this word was already in use as an abstract noun, writers may have resorted to continent. Note continent in Middle English used by the translator of Chauliac's Grande Chirurgie in the sense "content."

Adjective

Middle English contynent "abstemious, refraining from sexual intercourse," borrowed from Middle French continent, borrowed from Medieval Latin continent-, continens, going back to Latin, "restrained, not indulging in excesses," from present participle of continēre "to hold together, restrain, have as contents" — more at contain

First Known Use

Noun

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing continent

• dark continent

Rhymes for continent

• incontinent
• subcontinent

Kids Definition

continent

noun

con·​ti·​nent

ˈkänt-ᵊn-ənt, 

ˈkänt-nənt

1

: one of the great divisions of land (as North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, or Antarctica) on the globe

2

capitalized : the continent of Europe

Medical Definition

continent

adjective

con·​ti·​nent ˈkänt-ᵊn-ənt 

: exercising continence

continently adverb