incessant

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

incessant — 形容詞

  • 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

不斷的

持續到令人厭煩的程度

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.

隔壁不停的狗吠聲讓 Joaquín 一直清醒到凌晨三點。

attributive: incessant + noun (barking)

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

Élise 求她弟弟晚餐時不要再不斷地敲打廚房的桌子。

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.