continuum
noun
con·tin·u·um
kən-ˈtin-yü-əm 
plural continua
kən-ˈtin-yü-ə
also continuums
also continuums
1
: a coherent whole characterized as a collection, sequence, or progression of values or elements varying by minute degrees
"Good" and "bad" … stand at opposite ends of a continuum instead of describing the two halves of a line.—
Wayne Shumaker
Wayne Shumaker2
: the set of real numbers including both the rationals and the irrationals
broadly
: a compact set which cannot be separated into two sets neither of which contains a limit point of the other
Examples of continuum in a Sentence
His motives for volunteering lie somewhere on the continuum between charitable and self-serving.
a continuum of temperatures ranging from very cold to very hot
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1935, Einstein and his colleague Nathan Rosen found a mathematical solution that suggested this spacetime continuum could form a kind of tunnel connecting two distant points, called an Einstein-Rosen bridge.
—Katia Riddle, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025
Spearfishing is part of a long continuum of cultural knowledge, identity and the expression of treaty rights.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 26 Dec. 2025
The exhibition is erected in a continuum of urgency challenging the chronological order.
—Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 18 Dec. 2025
In these clips, the screen judders and blurs, the lights fluttering in a mad blitz, as if this person’s aura can overwhelm the time-space continuum.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for continuum
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Katia Riddle, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025
Spearfishing is part of a long continuum of cultural knowledge, identity and the expression of treaty rights.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 26 Dec. 2025
The exhibition is erected in a continuum of urgency challenging the chronological order.
—Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 18 Dec. 2025
In these clips, the screen judders and blurs, the lights fluttering in a mad blitz, as if this person’s aura can overwhelm the time-space continuum.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for continuum
Cite this Entry
“Continuum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/continuum. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
continuum
noun
con·tin·u·um
kən-ˈtin-yə-wəm
plural continuua
-yə-wə
also continuums
: something that is continuous and the same throughout and that is often thought of as a series of elements or values which differ by only tiny amounts
"light" and "dark" stand at opposite ends of a continuum
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