continually
continually — adverb
1. happening again and again, often so frequently that it becomes tiresome or very
happening again and again, often so frequently that it becomes tiresome or very noticeable — for example, a phone that keeps buzzing, a colleague who keeps interrupting, or a cough that will not stop.
The baby was continually waking up during the night, so Hana barely slept.
was continually + V-ing for repeated actions
Diego's phone buzzed continually throughout the dinner, which annoyed everyone at the table.
buzzed continually — adverb after verb
Complaints about the broken lift arrived continually at the front desk all week.
A small red light on the dashboard flashed continually, warning Kofi about low oil pressure.
- repeatedly
more neutral; lacks the annoyed tone that continually often carries
- over and over
informal; emphasises the frustrating cycle of repetition
- incessantly
stronger and more negative; suggests the action never lets up
- occasionally
happening once in a while, not repeatedly
- sporadically
happening at irregular intervals with long gaps
用法筆記
Often carries a tone of mild frustration — the repeated action is seen as excessive or unwelcome. Common with verbs of complaining, interrupting, asking, or malfunctioning.
常見錯誤
2. happening all the time without any break or pause — for example, a river that fl
happening all the time without any break or pause — for example, a river that flows night and day, or a system that operates without ever being turned off.
The river has flowed continually down from these mountains for thousands of years.
has flowed continually — present perfect + adverb for uninterrupted duration
Wen's computer has been running continually for the past four days without any crash.
Water trickles continually from a small crack in the limestone wall behind the old barn.
Traffic on the highway moved continually all holiday weekend, with almost no gaps between cars.
- continuously
very similar in meaning; preferred for scientific or technical descriptions of gapless processes
- non-stop
informal; common in everyday speech ('it rained non-stop')
- unceasingly
more formal and literary; emphasises the absence of any pause
- intermittently
starting and stopping at intervals
- periodically
happening at regular intervals with gaps between
用法筆記
Unlike SENSE 1 (REPEATEDLY), this sense does not carry annoyance. It describes an unbroken flow. The difference from continuously is very small here — many native speakers use the two interchangeably for uninterrupted actions, though strictly speaking continuously is preferred for truly gapless processes (e.g. a continuous line).