continent 1 of 2

Definition of continentnext
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

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continent

2 of 2

adjective

as in temperate
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

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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
Leo is seemingly keen to bring his message of peace, unity and human dignity to a continent sorely polarized over migration, the Russia-Ukraine war and anxiety over artificial intelligence. CBS News, 6 June 2026 America’s 250th anniversary As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a new CNN series premiering June 7 traces the dramatic story of how a fragile nation on the Atlantic coast expanded across a continent. Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 6 June 2026 Clearing regulators took about a year, on three continents, which says plenty about how much Google wanted it. Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026 Fluent in Persian, French, English, Swedish, German, and Italian, Satrapi was a singular figure in the culture of two continents — an Iranian exile and a French artist, a cartoonist who made history at the Oscars, and a political activist who turned grief and fury and memory into enduring art. Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for continent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for continent
Noun
  • Goldman Sachs is officially preferring mainland Chinese stocks to those traded in Hong Kong.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 3 June 2026
  • People who sought refuge on the mainland and started walking back across the causeways got trapped and swept out to sea.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
Adjective
  • The evolutionary solution, for most temperate insects, is to use the light signal as the primary trigger and treat temperature as a secondary modifier.
    John Drake, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
  • Kelp fringes nearly a third of the planet’s coastlines and is an iconic feature of temperate waters, from California and Chile to Norway, Japan, and Australia.
    Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026
Adjective
  • Once inside, warm, tropical breezes flow into the hotel’s ascetic, nevertheless grand lobby, wafting you towards a magical cloister filled with plants and robust Botero sculptures.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 May 2026
  • Grothendieck was intense and ascetic from his early days.
    Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 20 May 2026
Adjective
  • Lunchtimes are more abstemious with avocado and tuna packed poke bowls and watermelon salad at the W lounge.
    Jemima Sissons, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
  • His first term now looks practically abstemious.
    Erin Neil, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Like Ash Wednesday, Good Friday is a day where Catholics are obliged to fast and stay abstinent throughout the day until midnight.
    Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2026
  • At the end of six months, those who had taken just one dose of psilocybin had more than six times greater odds of being abstinent from cigarettes than their counterparts who relied on the nicotine substitute.
    Will Stone, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Continent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continent. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.

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