endlos

Endlos is a German word meaning endless or without end. It functions as both an adjective and an adverb, formed from Ende (end) and the suffix -los, which marks absence or lack. The term is commonly used in everyday language as well as in literature and media to convey uninterrupted duration or persistence.

As an adjective, endlos can modify a noun, for example endlose Warterei (endless waiting) or eine endlose Geschichte (an endless story). As an adverb, it describes the manner or extent of an action, such as endlos weiterreden (to talk on and on without end) or endlos lang (endlessly long). In contrast to unendlich, which often carries a more formal or mathematical sense of infinity, endlos tends to be more experiential and colloquial, signaling perceived or subjective continuity rather than a strictly defined boundless quantity.

In usage, endlos emphasizes the perception of duration without a stated limit, while unendlich may imply a boundless concept in philosophical or theoretical contexts. The term is widely understood in German-speaking regions and appears in everyday speech, poetry, and prose to evoke repetition, monotony, or persistence.

Translations into English are typically endless, interminable, or unending, depending on context. Common phrases include endlos(es) Warten and eine endlose Geschichte. Endlos remains a flexible descriptor for the sense of time or repetition that feels without conclusion, without asserting a precise mathematical infinity.

See also: Endlichkeit (finiteness) and Unendlichkeit (infinity).