as in spectrum
formal
a range or series of things that are slightly different from each other and that exist between two different possibilities
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
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Recent Examples of continuum
This sounds specific enough, but the film’s bleakness belongs on a continuum with any number of works from the past ten or 15 or 20 years.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 3 July 2025
Those continuums often include some combination of local government, businesses, nonprofit service providers like shelters, and even religious organizations.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 2 July 2025
Upfront, Rivas portrays this first-time facial as part of a continuum of at-home treatment.
—Mark Holgate, Vogue, 15 June 2025
Because heat is the random motion of particles, these thermal effects suggest to many researchers that black holes, and the space-time continuum in general, actually consist of some kind of particles or other microscopic components.
—George Musser, Quanta Magazine, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for continuum
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 3 July 2025
Those continuums often include some combination of local government, businesses, nonprofit service providers like shelters, and even religious organizations.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 2 July 2025
Upfront, Rivas portrays this first-time facial as part of a continuum of at-home treatment.
—Mark Holgate, Vogue, 15 June 2025
Because heat is the random motion of particles, these thermal effects suggest to many researchers that black holes, and the space-time continuum in general, actually consist of some kind of particles or other microscopic components.
—George Musser, Quanta Magazine, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for continuum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for continuum
Noun
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Dimon said that JPMorgan is privy to a spectrum of data around consumers, corporations and global trade.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
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The film operates under the Primetime banner, neurodivergent actor-producer Victoria Emslie’s platform dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices across disability, gender, global majority and sexuality spectrums.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These tariffs threaten to kneecap an emerging sector of innovation around the world, that is, for the first time, using traditional startup strategies and pathways to innovate, scale and grow.—
Nish Acharya,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Traditional data lakes can store raw data at scale but lack quality controls, while warehouses enforce structure but struggle with unstructured or fast changing data.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Continuum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continuum. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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