continually

adverb

con·​tin·​u·​al·​ly kən-ˈtin-yü-ə-lē 

-yə-lē

: in a continual manner : without stopping or interruption

a security system that runs continually

We had endured a series of dark, gloomy, winter days, during which the sun had been continually hidden behind dense, rain clouds.

—George Thatcher

… I was too thoroughly swept away by this richly imagined and continually surprising novel to be concerned with cute comparisons.

—Edan Lepucki

They bickered continually, ignoring me as I worked around them.

—Paula Fox

: in a constantly repeated manner : over and over

being interrupted continually

She would write. I would read and edit, and sometimes shift the wordings, or change phrases or delete things. We would continually refine what was written.

—Herbie Hancock

Synonyms of continually

• constantly
• often
• repeatedly
• frequently

Examples of continually in a Sentence

grew up in a time when children were continually being told to mind their manners

the computer program continually updates the file with new information

Recent Examples on the Web

Human society continually tries to organize itself around religion, politics, empathy and law. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Volunteers also reported that Basabe continually directed the speaker toward them even after Miami Beach code compliance officers told him that its volume exceeded the city’s noise limit. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026

Living organisms continually release gases such as oxygen and methane into the atmosphere. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026

Takeshi’s father is a petty and proud man, in ways continually expanded upon throughout the film’s runtime, though how he’s actually framed never truly changes. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contynuely, from continuel continual + -ly -ly entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above