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
But, for me, part of that continuum of getting that high energy part of him.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2024
This series serves as a duality of existence–that there is a continuum in these spaces, which also, challenges stereotypes about the Black experience–especially my experience of growing up in the suburbs of Southfield, Michigan in Metro Detroit.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2024
Symbolic logic turns this kind of argument into algebra, readily shared, solved and generalized for cracking a continuum of conundrums.
—Vinay K. Chaudhri, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2024
The United States will be majority non-white by 2050 and the Democrats recognize that within that new majority, there is the old ideological continuum of left and right.
—Richard Stengel, TIME, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for continuum 
Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2024
This series serves as a duality of existence–that there is a continuum in these spaces, which also, challenges stereotypes about the Black experience–especially my experience of growing up in the suburbs of Southfield, Michigan in Metro Detroit.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2024
Symbolic logic turns this kind of argument into algebra, readily shared, solved and generalized for cracking a continuum of conundrums.
—Vinay K. Chaudhri, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2024
The United States will be majority non-white by 2050 and the Democrats recognize that within that new majority, there is the old ideological continuum of left and right.
—Richard Stengel, TIME, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for continuum
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'continuum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Continuum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/continuum. Accessed 18 Oct. 2024.
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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