ad infinitum

adverb or adjective

ad in·​fi·​ni·​tum ˌad-ˌin-fə-ˈnī-təm How to pronounce ad infinitum (audio)
 also  ˌäd-
: without end or limit

Examples of ad infinitum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As customer service teams solve new problems, the solutions go into the training model, so the tools get progressively better at solving problems, ad infinitum. Lou Senko, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024 On more than one occasion, parents have filed lawsuits against social-media companies alleging their algorithms were designed to keep users scrolling ad infinitum, essentially addicting their children to the platform. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2024 And repeat, ad infinitum, until the peas are white as stones. Emiene Wright, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 In light of the ongoing strike by the Screen Actors’ Guild, multiple performers have expressed fears that manipulative clauses in their contracts might allow companies to pay them once and deploy pattern recognition tools to replicate their voices and bodies ad infinitum. Hazlitt, 9 Aug. 2023 Depending on the initial placement of the constituent cells, their clusters can showcase surprisingly complex behaviors such as self-replication ad infinitum. Shi En Kim, Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2023 The story has been analyzed and argued over ad infinitum, especially in the midst of the 30th anniversary. Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2023 Naturally, some object to the notion of artificially extending life ad infinitum, wherein the story begins to get complicated. Will Tizard, Variety, 3 July 2023 And then the algorithm predicts the next word, and the next word, and the next word, ad infinitum. IEEE Spectrum, 13 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ad infinitum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin ad infīnītum

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ad infinitum was in 1581

Dictionary Entries Near ad infinitum

Cite this Entry

“Ad infinitum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ad%20infinitum. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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