interminable
adjective
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We promise not to ramble on endlessly about the origins of interminable. The word was borrowed into English in the 15th century and descends from a Latin combination of the prefix in- ("not") and the verb terminare, meaning "to terminate" or "to limit." The word describes not only something without an actual end (or no end in sight, such as "interminable oceans"), but also events, such as tedious lectures, that drag on in such a way that they give no clear indication of ever wrapping up. Other relatives of interminable in English include terminate, determine, terminal, and exterminate.
Examples of interminable in a Sentence
Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
Fears that the family would be forever denied or that the loss would be interminable.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Jan. 2025
His presidency also was buffeted by domestic crises — rampant inflation and high unemployment, as well as interminable lines at gas stations triggered by a decline in the global oil supply exacerbated by Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
—Scott Kraft, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024
To students, the school year may seem interminable.
—Peter Greene, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for interminable 
Dictionary Entries Near interminable
Cite this Entry
“Interminable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interminable. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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interminable
adjective
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