interminable
adjective
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We promise not to ramble on endlessly about the origins of interminable. The word was borrowed into English in the 15th century and descends from a Latin combination of the prefix in- ("not") and the verb terminare, meaning "to terminate" or "to limit." The word describes not only something without an actual end (or no end in sight, such as "interminable oceans"), but also events, such as tedious lectures, that drag on in such a way that they give no clear indication of ever wrapping up. Other relatives of interminable in English include terminate, determine, terminal, and exterminate.
Examples of interminable in a Sentence
Judy Berman, TIME, 17 July 2024
Europeans are already disillusioned by their involvement in the interminable post-Sept. 11 wars and wary of America’s tendency toward military interventions.
—Mark Hannah, The Mercury News, 11 July 2024
Mao was impressed by the toughness his protégé Deng Xiaoping displayed during interminable debates over ideology in Moscow in the 1960s, when Deng was Beijing’s most prominent attack dog on the world stage.
—Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2024
That first summer spent indoors, learning to make her way in a wheelchair, felt interminable.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for interminable 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'interminable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Interminable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interminable. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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interminable
adjective
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