neverendum

N1E1V4E1R1E1N1D2U1M3
UK/ˌnɛv.əˈɹɛn.dəm/Canada, US/ˌnɛv.ɚˈɛn.dəm/

noun

A series of referendums on the same issue held in an attempt to achieve an unpopular result.

Scrabble 16

Meanings

nounneverendum (plural neverendums or neverenda)

plural neverendums · plural neverenda

  1. A series of referendums on the same issue held in an attempt to achieve an unpopular result.

    You should see the history lessons on the Quebec referenda(neverenda?)...

    1999 September 9, Dwight Williams, “Plastique and the FALN: Birds of a Feather?”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (Usenet)
    5 more examples

    Another "neverendum" (as Canadian nationalists call this process) on Quebec's secession is planned before the year 2000.

    1998, Pierre Desrochers, Eric Duhaime, “10: A Secessionist's View of Quebec's Options”, in David Gordon, editor, Secession, State, and Liberty, page 239

    And so, the neverendum marches on. This is good news for the Liberals but bad news for Canada.

    1999, David Schneiderman, The Quebec Decision: Perspectives on the Supreme Court Ruling on Secession, page 123

    Well then you get Bouchard to have some neveredums (or neverenda, if you're literate.)

    1999 April 26, J Kirby Inwood, “Municipality creation”, in can.legal (Usenet)

    Some referenda feel like neverenda, political footballs kicked about in empty aisles.

    2011, Peter Swirski, American Utopia and Social Engineering in Literature, Social Thought, and Political History, Routledge, page 86

    This is the Québécois scenario of the ‘neverendum’, which could be replicated in Scotland: the voters park their ideology and values at the elections to the Holyrood Parliament and elect an SNP or SNP coalition government, but vote differently at Westminster elections.

    2012, Henry McLeish, Scotland: The Growing Divide: Old Nation, New Ideas, page 116

Origin

Blend of never-ending + referendum. Coined by Canadian writer Josh Freed in the context of repeated referendums on the secession of Quebec.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

neverendum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neverendum

MLA

“neverendum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neverendum. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “neverendum,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neverendum.

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