interminable

interminable — adjective

1. so long or slow that it feels as if it will never end, and this makes you feel a

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

so long or slow that it feels as if it will never end, and this makes you feel annoyed or bored

Example

The three-hour lecture on tax law felt interminable to the tired students.

felt interminable — subjective experience of length

After the flight delay, we faced an interminable wait at the crowded airport gate.

interminable wait — common noun collocation

Common collocations
  • interminable wait
  • interminable delay
  • interminable lecture
  • interminable silence
  • interminable process
  • interminable traffic jam
Synonyms
  • endless

    neutral — can describe both positive and negative situations

  • never-ending

    less formal than 'interminable', similar negative connotation

  • ceaseless

    more formal, often for continuous actions rather than complete events

Antonyms

Usage Note

Unlike 'endless' or 'never-ending', this word always carries a negative connotation of boredom or annoyance. It cannot be used for positive or neutral situations where the duration is welcome.

Common Mistakes

The children enjoyed an interminable summer vacation.
The children enjoyed an endless summer vacation.
'interminable' implies boredom or annoyance, so it does not fit a positive context.

Word family

  • interminably
    adverbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that lasts a very long time, but they differ in connotation and context. 'Interminable' always carries a subjective feeling of boredom or annoyance — it describes how the speaker feels about the duration, not an objective fact. 'Endless' is neutral: you can have endless joy (positive) or an endless task (negative). 'Never-ending' is more informal and can be neutral or mildly negative. 'Ceaseless' emphasizes continuous, uninterrupted action (ceaseless rain, ceaseless effort) and sounds more formal. 'Perpetual' suggests a state that continues indefinitely without change, often for something ongoing (perpetual motion, perpetual student). For example: 'The meeting felt interminable' (negative/subjective), while 'The stars seem endless' (neutral/poetic).

endless ↗never-ending ↗ceaselessperpetual

Common collocations

Nouns

  • interminable wait
  • interminable delay
  • interminable lecture
  • interminable meeting
  • interminable silence
  • interminable process
  • interminable journey
  • interminable traffic
  • interminable queue

Adverbs

  • seemingly interminable
  • almost interminable
  • equally interminable

Phrases

  • interminable list of
  • interminable series of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'interminabilis', meaning 'that cannot be ended', from 'in-' (not) + 'terminabilis' (able to be ended, from 'terminare' — to limit, to end). The word entered English through French in the late 15th century.