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 central tenet of criticism of late 20th- and 21st-century IP is that copyright and patent law are continually strengthened for corporate rights holders at the expense of creativity, innovation, human rights, and traditional knowledge. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026

Artistic efforts should be self-sustaining as patrons finance them, not continually maintained by government subsidies. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026

If the location of that first infection is in the US, however, the research could lend significant weight to the idea that measles has been continually transmitting in the country for longer than a year, the threshold fordetermining elimination. —Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026

The simulated winds, which in a recent test purposefully fluctuated between 30 and 55 mph (50 to 90 kph), continually pushed the flames toward the home. —ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above