Meaning

A continuous series or whole, no part of which is noticeably different from its adjacent parts, although the ends or extremes of it are very different from each other..

Definitions by Sense

1. A continuous series or whole, no part of which is noticeably different from its adjacent parts, although the ends or extremes of it are very different from each other.
2. A continuous extent.
3. (mathematics) The nondenumerable set of real numbers; more generally, any compact connected metric space.
4. (music) A touch-sensitive strip, similar to an electronic standard musical keyboard, except that the note steps are ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a semitone, and so are not separately marked.

Example Sentences

Near-synonym: spectrum

So, the white line implies Blacklessness and the black background implies Whitelessness – that is, once the white line, a continuum, has emerged from blackness, also a continuum, and the two continua engage in an “inter-penetrative” (Buddhist term) process.

In fact, the influence of signage in a certain area may exist anywhere on a continuum from profoundly effective to utterly trivial or completely insignificant, irrespective of the intent motivating the signs.

A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place.

Word Forms

• continuums
• continua

Synonyms for continuum

Related Words

When Should You Use Continuum?

Use continuum when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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