incessant

adjective

in·​ces·​sant (ˌ)in-ˈse-sᵊnt How to pronounce incessant (audio)
: continuing or following without interruption : unceasing
Choose the Right Synonym for incessant

continual, continuous, constant, incessant, perpetual, perennial mean characterized by continued occurrence or recurrence.

continual often implies a close prolonged succession or recurrence.

continual showers the whole weekend

continuous usually implies an uninterrupted flow or spatial extension.

football's oldest continuous rivalry

constant implies uniform or persistent occurrence or recurrence.

lived in constant pain

incessant implies ceaseless or uninterrupted activity.

annoyed by the incessant quarreling

perpetual suggests unfailing repetition or lasting duration.

a land of perpetual snowfall

perennial implies enduring existence often through constant renewal.

a perennial source of controversy

Examples of incessant in a Sentence

Much of the early motor development of the child depends on learning and refining such procedures, through play, imitation, trial and error, and incessant rehearsal. Oliver Sacks, New Yorker, 24 Sept. 2007
Magna Carta also stipulated that the shire courts should meet as royal courts under the itinerant justices more often than twice a year—a change, convenient to the landed classes and their incessant civil actions, that was not implemented because of the cost to the Crown. Norman F. Cantor, Imagining the Law, 1997
Whatever Stalin's ancestry, his biographers, Robert Tucker in particular, have concluded that his unfortunate childhood experiences, including incessant, murderous beatings by his drunken father, were probably what caused his pathological behaviour. Amy Knight, Times Literary Supplement, 26 Apr. 1991
the incessant noise from an outside repair crew was a real distraction during the test
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The tire marks from dump trucks hadn’t yet been blown away by the incessant gales of the high desert. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2025 Classrooms across the country are facing a pandemic of distraction—incessant buzzing, pinging and chiming competing with teachers and classmates for student attention. Bill Ready, Time, 23 Apr. 2025 The Slap became so incessant and overblown that the reflections that dominate Smith’s new album are a natural and healthy response to such intense public shaming. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025 Such evidence could support the view that incessant loud noise amounts to torture or cruel treatment towards cetaceans, in turn galvanizing support for a new right to be free from such harm. David Gruber, Time, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for incessant

Word History

Etymology

Middle English incessaunt, from Late Latin incessant-, incessans, from Latin in- + cessant-, cessans, present participle of cessare to delay — more at cease

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of incessant was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incessant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incessant. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

incessant

adjective
in·​ces·​sant (ˈ)in-ˈses-ᵊnt How to pronounce incessant (audio)
: going on and on : not stopping or letting up
incessantly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on incessant

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