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

The continually jaw-dropping pair of Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau, who just went Instagram official. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 7 Dec. 2025

Many families continually miss out on stock market gains while wealth rises fastest for those at the very top, data from the Federal Reserve also shows, as the value of their investment holdings continues to grow. —Jessica Dickler,kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025

This layered, complex film reveals more and more of itself upon every viewing, petals of emotion, symbolism and meaning continually blooming, always grounded by Moura’s gravitational pull. —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 4 Dec. 2025

Love, the middle film, may be the highlight — a continually surprising drama about co-workers, one a straight woman and the other a gay man, who find their aversions to commitment getting challenged over the course of a summer. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above