incessant

in·ces·sant
I1N1C3E1S1S1A1N1T1
/ɪnˈsɛs.ənt/

adjective

Without pause or stop; not ending, especially to the point of annoyance.

“The dog's incessant barking kept the girl awake all night.”

Similar
unremittingcontinuousunceasingceaselessconstantnever-endingperpetualuninterrupted
OriginMiddle English incessaunte ← Late Latin incessāns, incessantem →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

adjectiveincessant (comparative more incessant, superlative most incessant)

comparative more incessant · superlative most incessant

  1. Without pause or stop; not ending, especially to the point of annoyance.

    The dog's incessant barking kept the girl awake all night.

    2 more examples

    […] incessant interferings and bickerings, in every country, between the secular powers and the ecclesiastical.

    1807, George Campbell, Lectures on Ecclesiastical History, page 274

    The face of Nature may be compared to a yielding surface, with ten thousand sharp wedges packed close together and driven inwards by incessant blows, sometimes one wedge being struck, and then another with greater force.

    1859, Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species

    Synonyms: unremitting, continuous, unceasing

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveWithout pause or stop; not ending, especially to the point of annoyance.

Similar
unremittingcontinuousunceasing

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveuninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing

Similar
ceaselessconstantnever-endingperpetualunceasingunremittingcontinuousuninterrupted
Also see
ceaselessconstantcontinuatecontinuousdreicheverlastingincessivenever-endingperpetualstillunceasinguninterruptedunremittingunwearied

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Late Latinincessāns, incessantem
  2. Middle Englishincessaunte
  3. Englishincessant

From Late Middle English incessaunte, from Late Latin incessāns, incessantem, from Latin in- + cessāns.

More words from Middle English, Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀδιάλειπτος
  • ἀδιάλειπτος (adiáleiptos)without pause or stop; not ending
Arabic مُسْتَمِرّ, مُتَوَاصِل
  • مُسْتَمِرّ (mustamirr)without pause or stop; not ending
  • مُتَوَاصِل (mutawāṣil)without pause or stop; not ending
Bengali অবিরত, অনবরত
  • অবিরত (obiroto)without pause or stop; not ending
  • অনবরত (onoboroto)without pause or stop; not ending
  • অবিরাম (obiram)without pause or stop; not ending
  • অবিশ্রান্ত (obisranto)without pause or stop; not ending
Bulgarian непрестанен, нескончаем
  • непрестанен (neprestanen)without pause or stop; not ending
  • нескончаем (neskončaem)without pause or stop; not ending
Catalan incessant
  • incessantwithout pause or stop; not ending
Czech neustálý
  • neustálýwithout pause or stop; not ending
Danish uafbrudt, stadig
  • uafbrudtwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • stadigwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • uafladeligwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • konstantwithout pause or stop; not ending
Dutch voortdurend, onophoudelijk
  • voortdurendwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • onophoudelijkwithout pause or stop; not ending
Esperanto senĉesa
  • senĉesawithout pause or stop; not ending
Finnish herkeämätön, alituinen
  • herkeämätönwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • alituinenwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • lakkaamatonwithout pause or stop; not ending
French incessant
  • incessantwithout pause or stop; not ending
German ständig, unablässig
  • ständigwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • unablässigwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • unaufhörlichwithout pause or stop; not ending
Greek αδιάλειπτος
  • αδιάλειπτος (adiáleiptos)without pause or stop; not ending
Hindi निरंतर
  • निरंतर (nirantar)without pause or stop; not ending
Icelandic sífelldur, þrálaus
  • sífelldurwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • þrálauswithout pause or stop; not ending
  • þráláturwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • viðstöðulauswithout pause or stop; not ending
  • stöðugurwithout pause or stop; not ending
Irish síoraí, síor-
  • síoraíwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • síor-without pause or stop; not ending
Latin assiduus
  • assiduuswithout pause or stop; not ending
Polish bezustanny
  • bezustannywithout pause or stop; not ending
Portuguese incessante
  • incessantewithout pause or stop; not ending
Romanian neîncetat
  • neîncetatwithout pause or stop; not ending
Russian постоя́нный, непреры́вный
  • постоя́нный (postojánnyj)without pause or stop; not ending
  • непреры́вный (neprerývnyj)without pause or stop; not ending
  • беспреры́вный (besprerývnyj)without pause or stop; not ending
  • непрекраща́ющийся (neprekraščájuščijsja)without pause or stop; not ending
Scottish Gaelic sìor
  • sìorwithout pause or stop; not ending
Slovak ustavičný
  • ustavičnýwithout pause or stop; not ending
Spanish incesante
  • incesantewithout pause or stop; not ending
Swedish oavbruten, oavlåtlig
  • oavbrutenwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • oavlåtligwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • oupphörligwithout pause or stop; not ending
  • ständigwithout pause or stop; not ending
Ukrainian безперервний
  • безперервний (bezperervnyj)without pause or stop; not ending

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with incessant

crescentfluorescentantidepressantincandescentconvalescentsuppressantiridescentluminescentquiescentpubescentdepressanteffervescentopalescentpearlescentflorescentevanescentelectroluminescenttumescentphosphorescentessentprepubescentsenescentobsolescentchemiluminescent
All rhymes →

Anagrams

anticnesscantiness
Cite this entry
APA

incessant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incessant

MLA

“incessant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incessant. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “incessant,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incessant.

Source: incessant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.