interminable

adjective

in·​ter·​mi·​na·​ble (ˌ)in-ˈtər-mə-nə-bəl 

-ˈtərm-nə-

: having or seeming to have no end

especially : wearisomely protracted

an interminable sermon

interminableness noun

interminably

(ˌ)in-ˈtər-mə-nə-blē 

-ˈtərm-nə-

adverb

Did you know?

We promise not to ramble on endlessly about the origins of interminable. The word was borrowed into English in the 15th century and descends from a Latin combination of the prefix in- ("not") and the verb terminare, meaning "to terminate" or "to limit." The word describes not only something without an actual end (or no end in sight, such as "interminable oceans"), but also events, such as tedious lectures, that drag on in such a way that they give no clear indication of ever wrapping up. Other relatives of interminable in English include terminate, determine, terminal, and exterminate.

Examples of interminable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After nearly six years of anticipation and interminable delays, the Peabody project has been scrapped by the city of Roanoke. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Feb. 2025

The wait was interminable, but Isak was unconcerned. —George Caulkin, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025

The bustle of city life in Cairo, once celebrated, became a source of miserable congestion as transport became mechanized and streets grew clogged with hot, crowded buses stuck in interminable traffic. —Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025

Fears that the family would be forever denied or that the loss would be interminable. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin interminabilis, from Latin in- + terminare to terminate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

interminable

adjective

in·​ter·​mi·​na·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈtərm-(ə-)nə-bəl 

: having or seeming to have no end

especially : tiresomely long

interminableness noun

interminably

-blē 

adverb