non-terminating

IPA/nˈɒntˈɜːmɪnˌeɪtɪŋ/
IPA/nˈɑːntˈɜːmᵻnˌeɪɾɪŋ/

non-terminating — adjective

1. describes a number, sequence, or running process that goes on without ever reach

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes a number, sequence, or running process that goes on without ever reaching a final point — for example, the decimal 1/3 = 0.333… or a computer program stuck in a loop

Example

Ayesha showed the class that one third is a non-terminating decimal.

non-terminating + decimal in mathematics

The student's code froze the laptop with a non-terminating loop.

non-terminating + loop in computing

Common collocations
  • non-terminating decimal
  • non-terminating loop
  • non-terminating process
  • non-terminating sequence
  • non-terminating expansion
Synonyms
  • infinite

    broader; covers anything without limit, not only numbers or processes

  • endless

    everyday word for anything that does not stop; less formal and not used in maths

  • unbounded

    stresses having no upper limit; common in maths but not specifically about ending

Antonyms
  • terminating

    describes a decimal, sequence, or process that ends after a finite number of steps

  • finite

    broader opposite; means something has a clear end or fixed size

Grammar Patterns

non-terminating decimal

non-terminating loop

non-terminating process

non-terminating sequence

Usage Note

Almost always placed before a noun like decimal, loop, process, or sequence. Distinguish from 'unending' — non-terminating describes a formal mathematical or computing property, not a feeling about events lasting too long.

Common Mistakes

The meeting felt non-terminating.
The meeting felt endless.
non-terminating is a technical label for numbers, sequences, or programs, not for the way events feel.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Non-terminating is a precise technical label used in mathematics and computing for a number, sequence, or program that never reaches a final stopping point. Infinite is much broader: it covers any quantity, set, or duration without limit, not only the property of failing to stop. Endless is the everyday word for something that does not seem to end, but speakers rarely use it about decimals or computer loops; it sounds vague in a maths classroom. Unbounded is also formal and common in maths, but it focuses on having no upper limit rather than on never finishing — an unbounded sequence may still terminate at infinity in a special sense. Terminating is the direct opposite: a decimal like 0.25 or a loop that exits after ten steps is terminating, while 0.333… or an infinite loop is non-terminating.

infinite ↗endless ↗unbounded ↗terminating ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a non-terminating decimal expansion
  • stuck in a non-terminating loop

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Non-terminating is a modern English compound built from non-, meaning 'not', and terminating, the present participle of the verb terminate. Terminate came into English in the late 16th century from Latin terminare, meaning 'to set a limit to' or 'to end', from terminus, 'boundary, end'. The compound spread in mathematics and computing during the 20th century as a technical label for numbers and processes that do not reach a final point.