The Meaning of the Continuum

The continuum is a range or spectrum in which things share a particular characteristic to different degrees. It is not a strict boundary or division but an unbroken curve, as compared to discrete categories such as classes and castes, which have clearly defined extremes.

Whether it be musical styles, human life stages, or social stratification, we tend to define things on a continuum rather than in fixed, distinct, binary categories. For example, some parents are heavy on discipline and others take a more child centered approach. Some people are lactose intolerant and others are gluten intolerant, falling along a continuum. Crime severity is also a continuum with low level and serious crimes being at opposite ends of the scale.

These examples are selected automatically from various online sources to illustrate the meaning of the word continuum. They may not all be the best examples, but they illustrate the general idea. See also the list of synonyms and related words on the right side of this page. The word continuum is derived from the Latin ‘unum in varietate’, which means unity in multiplicity. the continuum