Standard Lemma guide

ceaseless

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈsiːsləs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S IY1 S L IH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Without an end.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Without stop or pause, incessant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the ceaseless thunder of surf
  • in constant pain
  • night and day we live with the incessant noise of the city
  • the never-ending search for happiness
  • the perpetual struggle to maintain standards in a democracy
  • man's unceasing warfare with drought and isolation
  • unremitting demands of hunger

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: constant, incessant, never-ending, perpetual, unceasing, unremitting

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin cēdō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -tō Latin cessōder. Middle French cesserbor. Middle English cesen English cease Proto-Indo-European *lewh1- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English ceaseless From cease + -less.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безспирен (bezspiren) — without an end
  • Bulgarian: непрестанен (neprestanen) — without an end
  • Czech: neustálý — without an end
  • Czech: ustavičný — without an end
  • Esperanto: senĉesa — without an end
  • French: incessant — without an end
  • German: endlos — without an end
  • Greek: ανειρήνευτος (aneiríneftos) — without an end
  • Greek: ακατάπαυστος (akatápafstos) — without an end
  • Greek: ατελείωτος (ateleíotos) — without an end
  • Greek: ατέλειωτος (atéleiotos) — without an end
  • Ancient Greek: ἄπαυστος (ápaustos) — without an end
  • Ancient Greek: ἀδιάλειπτος (adiáleiptos) — without an end
  • Italian: incessante — without an end
  • Kapampangan: balabalaus — without an end
  • Kapampangan: balabalawus — without an end
  • Latin: iūgis — without an end
  • Malayalam: നിലയ്ക്കാത്ത (nilaykkātta) — without an end
  • Polish: bezustanny — without an end
  • Romanian: neîncetat — without an end
  • Slovak: neustály — without an end
  • Tagalog: walang-likat — without an end
  • Turkish: sonsuz — without an end
  • Czech: nepřetržitý — incessant