They are very close in meaning, I know, but I want to know if there are any subtle differences. Let me give you an example of a subtle difference in meaning between synonyms:
Deceitful vs. deceptive
At first glance, these seem to be perfect synonyms. However, in putting them into sentences, one finds a pattern – deceitful is almost always used of persons, and deceptive is always used of situations or things. So the "perfect" synonyms cannot always replace each other.
My question is: is there a similar subtle difference between continuous and continual?
Best Answer
Yes. Continuous means from some start to some end without break:
whereas continual means occurring repeatedly at intervals over a time span:
I should also mention that continual is often substituted for continuous, and would be correct in most contexts, however the converse is not generally true. That is to say,
is okay, but you would (hopefully) not mean
since that would imply that all you do all day long is play poker and lose.