continuum

/kənˈtɪnjuəm/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈtɪnjuəm/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈtin-yü-əm/ (ame, mw)

continuum — noun

  • continuumsingular
  • continuaplural

1. a connected range of states, values, or stages that shade into each other, so th

1.名詞C1
釋義

a connected range of states, values, or stages that shade into each other, so there is no exact place where one ends and the next begins

例句

The clinic teaches parents that autism exists on a continuum, not in neat boxes.

pattern: on a continuum

After surgery, the nurse said pain falls on a continuum from sore to unbearable.

pattern: continuum from X to Y

同義詞
  • range

    more general and less focused on blurred boundaries

  • spectrum

    often highlights two poles with many positions between them

  • scale

    often suggests measurement or rating rather than blending categories

文法句型

on a continuum

a continuum of + plural noun

a continuum from X to Y

see something as a continuum

用法筆記

Common in academic, medical, and policy writing when the boundaries between categories are fuzzy. It often appears with 'of + noun' or 'from X to Y' to name the spread.

常見錯誤

❌The chart puts students in a continuum.
✅The chart places students on a continuum of language ability.
💡We usually say someone or something is on a continuum, not in one.