Words / B2

KOWNTL-uh-s/ˈkaʊntləs/

Countless means too many to count: countless emails; countless times. Numerous (already in the dictionary) is more formal. Many is everyday. Staff raised countless tickets about a crashed portal. Slightly informal in a methods section — prefer numerous there.

Meaning

Too many to count (slightly informal in academic prose).

Examples

• “Staff raised countless tickets about the crashed portal.”
• “She had rewritten the intro countless times, which is hyperbole — say several in a report.”

Good to know

countless + plural noun. Formal twin: numerous. Everyday: many. Hyperbole in speech. Methods: prefer a number or numerous. Not for three items.

Near in meaning

numerous

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