continuum

noun

con·​tin·​u·​um kən-ˈtin-yü-əm 

plural continua kən-ˈtin-yü-ə  also continuums

1

: a coherent whole characterized as a collection, sequence, or progression of values or elements varying by minute degrees

"Good" and "bad" … stand at opposite ends of a continuum instead of describing the two halves of a line.

—Wayne Shumaker

2

: the set of real numbers including both the rationals and the irrationals

broadly : a compact set which cannot be separated into two sets neither of which contains a limit point of the other

Examples of continuum in a Sentence

His motives for volunteering lie somewhere on the continuum between charitable and self-serving.

a continuum of temperatures ranging from very cold to very hot

Recent Examples on the Web

The continuum of problem drinking There aren’t just two types of drinkers –– those who have a problem and those who don’t have to worry about it, Dick said. —Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026

The center provides a full continuum of care, including detox, residential treatment, outpatient programs, and aftercare services. —Ethan Stone, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026

But a continuum seems to exist. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026

In 1935, Einstein and his colleague Nathan Rosen found a mathematical solution that suggested this spacetime continuum could form a kind of tunnel connecting two distant points, called an Einstein-Rosen bridge. —Katia Riddle, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin, noun derivative from neuter of Latin continuus continuous

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

continuum

noun

con·​tin·​u·​um kən-ˈtin-yə-wəm 

plural continuua

-yə-wə

also continuums

: something that is continuous and the same throughout and that is often thought of as a series of elements or values which differ by only tiny amounts

"light" and "dark" stand at opposite ends of a continuum