Meaning & use

discontinuous

adjective·Academic

Not continuous; having breaks, gaps, or interruptions rather than flowing steadily.

See it in a sentence

The graph showed a discontinuous line with a sudden jump at the midpoint.

Fossil evidence for the species is discontinuous, with long gaps between known specimens.

A note on using this word

In mathematics, a function is discontinuous at a point where it jumps, breaks, or is undefined rather than smoothly connecting.

Words with a similar meaning

interruptedbroken

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

continuousunbroken

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “discontinuous”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.