continent 1 of 2

as in mainland
one of the great divisions of land on the globe or the main part of such a division Europe and Asia are sometimes considered together to be one continent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

continent

2 of 2

adjective

as in ascetical
given to or marked by restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites a religious sect that expects its unmarried members to be completely celibate and its married adherents to maintain continent relationships

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of continent
Noun
The mystery of where a cat spent the night has left the internet in stitches—and sparked an unexpected debate about pet ownership across continents. Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025 President Trump, Vice President Vance React to First American Pope Announcement World leaders across continents extended messages of hope, unity and spiritual solidarity Thursday after Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Adjective
The singer spent the past year flying around the world for her multi-continent Future Nostalgia tour and continued her jet-setting this past week with a trip to Groningen, Netherlands. Hannah Oh, Seventeen, 23 Jan. 2023 The resilient East African nation has rebounded over the past three decades; so, too, has its lion population, via a cross-continent initiative led by AndBeyond, African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board. Stephanie Vermillion, Robb Report, 3 Jan. 2023 See All Example Sentences for continent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for continent
Noun
  • Its largest island is just 21 square miles, roughly 600 miles off the mainland coast.
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 21 May 2025
  • Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.45% at the open, while mainland China’s CSI 300 traded flat.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • Spanish canals operated in a temperate climate and were managed by individual farmers who could maintain or increase their water flow.
    Ari Caramanica, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2025
  • In fact, the more temperate weather can be the best time to snuggle up outside, sit by a fire pit, and enjoy a new piece of outdoor furniture.
    Shea Simmons, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • This is especially clear in the contrast between Marcus Luria and his father, the ascetic sage Zalia Ziskind.
    Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
  • While Mathu is an ascetic loner, Malby was a hedonistic womanizer.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Some have evolved exceedingly specific diets—diets that would put even the most abstemious human to shame.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The solution offered up by some: the sort of abstemious, low-fat, often vegetarian, diets that had been prescribed as lust-control regimens only decades earlier.
    Rachel Hope Cleves / Made by History, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Continent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continent. Accessed 27 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on continent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!