continual

/kənˈtɪnj(ʊ)əl/

/kənˈtɪnjuəl/

The adjective continual describes something that's recurring, that happens again and again. If your pet wolf keeps up his continual howling all night, your neighbors will let you know about it.

Something continual doesn't seem to stop. Your continual nightmares about terrifying clowns occur night after night, and the continual interruptions of your adorable nephew while you're talking on the phone will probably seem less and less cute the longer they continue. The Latin root word is continuus, "uninterrupted," and if you're truly talking about something going on without pause, you'll want to use the word continuous instead.

Definitions of continual

1. adjective

   occurring without interruption; chiefly restricted to what recurs regularly or frequently in a prolonged and closely spaced series
   “the continual banging of the shutters”

   synonyms:

   insistent, repetitive

   repetitive and persistent

   running

   continually repeated over a period of time

   perennial, recurrent, repeated

   recurring again and again

   persistent, relentless, unrelenting

   never-ceasing

   recurring, revenant

   coming back

   antonyms:

   sporadic

   recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances

   fitful, spasmodic

   occurring in spells and often abruptly

   intermittent

   stopping and starting at irregular intervals

   occasional, periodic

   recurring or reappearing from time to time

   irregular, unpredictable

   not occurring at expected times

   isolated, stray

   not close together in time

   discontinuous, noncontinuous

   not continuing without interruption in time or space

   infrequent

   not frequent; not occurring regularly or at short intervals
2. adjective

   `continual' (meaning seemingly uninterrupted) is often used interchangeably with `continuous' (meaning without interruption)
   synonyms:

   continuous, uninterrupted

   continuing in time or space without interruption