incessant
gb/ɪnsˈɛsənt/ us/ɪnsˈɛsənt/
C1
English
~ 7100
Senses
0 senses
adjective
C1
property
1
Continuing without pause, often annoying
Happening again and again without stopping, usually in an annoying way.
Usage pattern:
incessant [noun]
Common mistake:
Learners often use "incessant" when they simply mean "constant" or "continuous" without a negative feeling. In modern English, "incessant" almost always suggests that something is annoying or unwanted. Learners may also try to use it after a verb (e.g. "the noise was incessanting"), but it is only an adjective: you say "the incessant noise" or "the noise was incessant".
Synonyms
constant (More neutral; does not always suggest annoyance, while "incessant" usually does.)
|
nonstop (More informal and direct; can sound less formal than "incessant".)
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ceaseless (Slightly literary; very close in meaning but used less in everyday speech.)
|
relentless (Adds a sense of pressure or harshness, not just lack of stopping.)
Antonyms
occasional (Describes something that happens only sometimes, not continuously.)
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intermittent (Describes something that starts and stops, with breaks in between.)
Collocations
incessant noise
|incessant rain
|incessant chatter
|incessant complaining
|incessant phone calls
|incessant questioning
Themes
daily life
|emotions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The incessant noise from the construction site made it impossible to concentrate.
- She grew tired of his incessant complaints about the smallest problems.
- After three days of incessant rain, the streets began to flood.
- The baby’s incessant crying kept everyone in the house awake all night.
- He was irritated by the incessant buzzing of his phone with new notifications.
Learner examples
- The incessant noise in the street kept me awake.
- I could not study because of their incessant talking.
- We were stuck inside because of the incessant rain.
- Her incessant questions made the teacher feel tired.
- He turned off his phone to escape the incessant messages.
Grammar
Dictionary form
incessant
IPA
GB/ɪnsˈɛsənt/
US/ɪnsˈɛsənt/
Syllables & stress
in - cess - ant (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cess)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: incessant
Word family
Core family
incessantly
adverb C1
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
unceasing
adjective
unceasingly
adverb
Advanced or less common
cessation
noun C1
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.