continuous Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective continuing in time or space without interruption
    uninterrupted.
    • a continuous rearrangement of electrons in the solar atoms results in the emission of light"- James Jeans
    • a continuous bout of illness lasting six months
    • lived in continuous fear
    • a continuous row of warehouses
    • a continuous line has no gaps or breaks in it
    • moving midweek holidays to the nearest Monday or Friday allows uninterrupted work weeks
  2. adjective of a function or curve; extending without break or irregularity

WordNet

Con*tin"u*ous adjective
Etymology
L. continuus, fr. continere to hold together. See Continent.
Definitions
  1. Without break, cessation, or interruption; without intervening space or time; uninterrupted; unbroken; continual; unceasing; constant; continued; protracted; extended; as, a continuous line of railroad; a continuous current of electricity.
    he can hear its continuous murmur. Longfellow.
  2. (Bot.) Not deviating or varying from uninformity; not interrupted; not joined or articulated. Syn. -- Continuous, Continual. Continuous is the stronger word, and denotes that the continuity or union of parts is absolute and uninterrupted; as, a continuous sheet of ice; a continuous flow of water or of argument. So Daniel Webster speaks of "a continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs of England." Continual, in most cases, marks a close and unbroken succession of things, rather than absolute continuity. Thus we speak of continual showers, implying a repetition with occasional interruptions; we speak of a person as liable to continual calls, or as subject to continual applications for aid, etc. See Constant.

Webster 1913