limitless

Limitless is an adjective describing something that has no limits or boundaries. In everyday language it can refer to boundlessness or unlimited potential. The term derives from limit plus the suffix -less, from Latin limes meaning boundary; its figurative use has grown in popular culture to describe extraordinary capability or possibility.

Beyond everyday usage, the related noun limit denotes a precise mathematical concept describing the value that a function or sequence approaches. Limitless, as a compound, is used metaphorically to describe ideas or people who seem not to be constrained by conventional boundaries. The pair of terms is often employed in self-help or marketing to evoke unrestricted growth.

In 2011, Limitless was released as a science fiction thriller directed by Neil Burger and starring Bradley Cooper. The film adapts Alan Glynn's 2001 novel The Dark Fields and centers on a struggling writer who takes NZT-48, a fictional cognitive enhancer that expands mental capabilities. The premise explores both the potential gains and the dangers of limitless intellect; the drug is fictional.

A television series titled Limitless aired in 2015–2016 on CBS and was based on the film. Starring Jake McDorman as a man who uses a similar drug to solve crimes, the show expands on the concept of cognitive enhancement within a procedural drama format. It ran for one season before cancellation.

Other uses of the term appear in advertising, literature, and discussions of human potential, often as a metaphor for unlimited possibility.