Continually

Continually is an adverb that denotes repetition or recurrence over time, typically with pauses between occurrences. It is often contrasted with continuously, which describes something that happens without interruption. In practice, continually emphasizes a cycle of events that repeats, while continuously describes a steady, unbroken duration.

Usage notes can help avoid confusion. Use continually when you want to stress the idea of repeated actions or interruptions: for example, someone continually asks questions or a process that continually revisits the same issue. Use continuously when you want to express an action or state that lasts without a break: for example, the river flowed continuously through the night, or the machine ran continuously for several hours. In many everyday contexts, speakers may substitute one for the other, but editors and style guides often prefer continually for repeated occurrences and continuously for unbroken duration.

Related forms include continual and continuous. Continual is an adjective describing frequent or repeated events that may involve interruptions, as in “continual delays.” Continuous (without -al) is another adjective describing something that is uninterrupted, as in “continuous coverage.” A common pitfall is treating continually and continuously as always interchangeable; the distinction hinges on whether the sequence has pauses (continually) or is unbroken (continuously).

Etymology traces continually to Latin continuus, via Old French continuel, with the -ly adverbial suffix forming the means to modify verbs. The sense has long aligned with repeated cycles versus uninterrupted duration in English usage.