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

The braided and beaded trinkets are woven with messages of kindness, song lyrics or inside jokes among her devotees, who cluster in venue aisles and interminable merchandise lines at concerts to trade as part of their own secret society. —Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 10 Dec. 2024

This reality, combined with this accelerating trade war between the US and China and the interminable state and federal permitting processes now threaten to fully stall an already slowing transition. —David Blackmon, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

Apart from the interminable 2000 (when the race came down to a recount in Florida that didn't end until Dec. 12) and 2020 elections, only 2004 kept us in more suspense. —Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 26 Nov. 2024

Childhood visits to Kenya were a mission in themselves—three days of connecting flights and interminable transits in Athens, Cairo, and Nairobi before arriving, bleary-eyed and bad-tempered, in Mombasa. —Selina Denman, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Nov. 2024

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