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Continual vs Consecutive - What's the difference?

continual | consecutive |

As adjectives the difference between continual and consecutive

is that continual is recurring in steady, rapid succession while consecutive is following, in succession, without interruption.

continual

English

Alternative forms

* continuall (obsolete)

Adjective

(-)
  • Recurring in steady, rapid succession.
  • (proscribed) Seemingly continuous; appearing to have no end or interruption.
  • (proscribed) Forming a continuous series.

    • Usage notes

    In careful usage, continual refers to repeated'' actions “continual objections”, while continuous refers to ''uninterrupted'' actions or objects “continuous flow”, “played music continuously from dusk to dawn”. However, this distinction is not observed in informal usage, a noted example being the magic spell name “continual light” (unbroken light), in the game ''.

    Related terms

    * continuance * continuation * continue * continuous * continuum

    References

    External links

    * *

    Anagrams

    *

    consecutive

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • following, in succession, without interruption
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 9 , author=Jonathan Wilson , title=Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao , work=the Guardian citation , page= , passage=He follows Frédi Kanouté, who achieved the feat in 2006 and 2007 for Sevilla, in scoring in consecutive Uefa Cup/Europa League finals.}}
  • Having some logical sequence

    • Antonyms

    * nonconsecutive * simultaneously

    Derived terms

    * consecutively * consecutiveness