Meaning & use
consistently
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Meanings
adverbnot comparable
In the same way every time, or at every point over a period.
Grammar: Goes before the verb or adjective: consistently good.
Patterns
- consistently do something
- consistently good
She has consistently scored above ninety percent.
The bakery consistently delivers fresh bread on time.
He consistently arrives early to meetings.
adverbnot comparableformal
In a way that agrees with something else, without contradicting it.
Grammar: Often followed by with: consistently with the evidence.
Patterns
- act consistently with something
The witness acted consistently with her earlier story.
The court applied the law consistently.
He argued consistently from the same principles.
Common combinations
- consistently high
- Test scores have been consistently high.
- consistently deny
- The company consistently denies any wrongdoing.
- consistently rank
- The school consistently ranks among the top ten.
- perform consistently
- The team performs consistently well.
- consistently apply
- Rules must be consistently applied.
Synonyms and how they differ
- steadily
- Steadily describes smooth, gradual movement, while consistently stresses the same quality each time.
- reliably
- Reliably stresses that you can depend on it, while consistently stresses sameness.
- regularly
- Regularly means at repeated intervals and does not promise the same quality.
- constantly
- Constantly means without stopping, which consistently does not imply.
Opposites
Word family
- consistent adjective
- staying the same or in agreement
- consistency noun
- the quality of staying the same
- inconsistent adjective
- changing or contradicting
- inconsistently adverb
- in a changing or uneven way
Commonly confused: consistently or constantly? consistently or persistently?
consistently vs constantly
Constantly means all the time without a break; consistently means the same way each time.
consistently vs persistently
Persistently means stubbornly continuing, while consistently means reliably the same.
Practice
The restaurant has ___ received high ratings over the past five years.
Choose one answer.
Consistently suggests steady, repeated good results. Constantly would mean without ever stopping, which is odd for ratings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “consistently”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.