repetitive

Compared meaning: happening many times or again and again (adjective).

比较义项：多次发生、反复出现的（形容词）。

• repeated

  A general, neutral word for something done or happening more than once; it does not itself imply monotony, non-stop continuation, or a fixed interval, and pairs naturally with countable actions like attempts or warnings.

  语气中性、含义笼统，只表示某事发生或做了不止一次；本身并不暗示单调乏味、持续不断或固定的时间间隔，常与「尝试」「警告」这类可数的动作搭配。

  The mechanic made repeated attempts to start the old engine before it finally caught.

  技师反复尝试启动那台旧发动机，最后终于打着了。

• repetitive 本词

  Emphasizes that an action is done the same way each time, so it feels monotonous or tedious; typically describes a task, job, or process rather than a single event.

  强调某个动作每次都以相同的方式进行，因而让人感到单调乏味；通常用来形容任务、工作或过程，而不是单一事件。

  The factory job felt repetitive because he did the same task daily.

  这份工厂工作让他感到单调乏味，因为他每天都做同样的任务。

• continual

  Stresses that something keeps happening again and again, or almost without stopping, over a period of time; often used for something annoying or disruptive, like noise or interruptions.

  强调某事在一段时间内一再发生，或几乎从未停止；常用来形容令人厌烦或造成干扰的事情，例如噪音或打断。

  The continual noise from the street kept the baby awake.

  街上持续不断的噪音让婴儿无法入睡。

• recurrent

  Describes something that goes away and then comes back repeatedly, often at intervals, rather than continuing without a break; common with medical problems, patterns, or themes.

  表示某事消失后又反复出现，通常是间隔性地发生，而不是不间断地持续；常用于描述医学问题、模式或主题。

  He suffers from a recurrent headache that returns every few weeks.

  他患有反复发作的头痛，每隔几周就会发作一次。

All four describe something happening more than once, with different focus. Repeated is the most neutral word. Repetitive means done the same way each time, feeling boring. Continual means happening again and again, almost without stopping. Recurrent means going away and coming back at intervals.

这四个词都表示反复发生或多次出现，但语气和侧重点不同：repeated最为中性、笼统；repetitive强调做法相同而显得单调乏味；continual强调频繁或几乎不间断；recurrent强调消失后又周期性地重新出现。四者不可随意互换。