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

That is a message O’Donnell still continually preaches. —Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026

Their continuous efforts involve coalition members regularly appearing at city council meetings and a deluge of emails, now numbering nearly 22,000, continually bombarding city hall. —Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026

Separately, Paramount has continually thrown in counter-bids and has been consistently rejected. —Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

There’s also a 50-foot indoor pool and a steam room that continually changes color just because. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above