incessant

/ɪnˈsesnt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈsesnt/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)in-ˈse-sᵊnt/ (ame, mw)

incessant — adjective

  • incessantpositive
  • more incessantcomparative
  • most incessantsuperlative

1. going on and on without a pause, in a way that begins to bother or tire the peop

1.形容詞C1
釋義

going on and on without a pause, in a way that begins to bother or tire the people around it.

例句

The incessant barking from next door kept Joaquín awake until three in the morning.

attributive: incessant + noun (barking)

Élise begged her brother to stop his incessant tapping on the kitchen table during dinner.

collocation: incessant tapping / drumming / humming

同義詞
  • constant

    neutral; doesn't always carry the 'annoying' overtone of incessant.

  • ceaseless

    literary; emphasises duration without the strong 'irritating' colour.

  • relentless

    stresses force or pressure, not just continuity (incessant rain vs relentless rain).

  • non-stop

    informal; can be neutral or positive (a non-stop party), unlike incessant.

反義詞

文法句型

incessant + noun

用法筆記

Almost always attributive (before a noun) and carries a negative tone — the speaker finds the continuous thing annoying, tiring, or worrying. Pairs especially with sound nouns (noise, chatter, barking), weather nouns (rain, wind), and repeated actions (complaints, questions, demands).

常見錯誤

❌The music was incessant.
✅The incessant music made it hard to concentrate.
💡'incessant' is rarely used after a linking verb; put it before the noun.
❌She gave an incessant smile.
✅She gave a constant smile.
💡'incessant' implies something unwelcome that won't stop, so it doesn't fit positive or neutral things like a smile.