WORD OF THE DAY: INTERMINABLE

INTERMINABLE

adjective | in-TER-muh-nuh-bul

What It Means

Interminable describes things that have or seem to have no end, especially because they continue for a very long time.

// The family played games to pass the time during the interminable wait for their delayed flight.

Examples of INTERMINABLE

“After what has felt like an interminable winter, spring is finally in the air. Birds are singing, daffodils and crocuses are pushing their way through the mud, and best of all, Greater Manchester has finally been treated to some sunshine this week.” — Greta Simpson, The Manchester (England) Evening News, 1 Mar. 2025.

Did You Know?

We promise not to ramble on endlessly about the origins of interminable. This word was borrowed into English in the 15th century, from a Latin word combining the prefix in- (“not”) and the verb terminare, meaning “to terminate” or “to limit.” Interminable describes not only something without an actual end (or no end in sight, such as “interminable traffic”), but also events, such as tedious lectures, that drag on in such a way that they give no clear indication of ever wrapping up. Some relatives of interminable in English include terminate, determine, terminal, and exterminate.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary