What does "cumulative" mean?

1. (increasing by additions) increasing or growing by adding one part after another. 2. (total amount so far) including all the data or amounts from the beginning up to now. 3. (finance/dividends) describes a type of payment that must be paid later if it cannot be paid now. 4. (legal evidence) describes extra evidence that just repeats what has already been proven.

cumulative

adj.

US //ˈkjumjəɫətɪv// UK //kjˈuːmjʊlətˌɪv// cu·mu·la·tive

1 increasing by additions (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

increasing or growing by adding one part after another.

increasing or becoming better or worse over time through a series of gradual additions.

Example

The cumulative effect of many small changes led to a big improvement in his health.

Example

The cumulative impact of decades of industrial runoff has significantly altered the local ecosystem, making restoration a complex and lengthy process.
- accumulative
- collective
- aggregate
- subtractive
2 total amount so far (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Math

including all the data or amounts from the beginning up to now.

representing the sum total of all previous data points or values up to a specific moment in time.

Example

Your final grade is based on your cumulative score from all the tests this year.

Example

The report tracks the cumulative rainfall for the region, comparing the year-to-date totals against the historical thirty-year average.
- total
- summed

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3 finance/dividends (adj.)
C1 Advanced Technical Formal Finance

describes a type of payment that must be paid later if it cannot be paid now.

referring to shares or dividends that, if not paid when due, must be added to the next payment and settled before other shareholders receive anything.

Example

Investors prefer cumulative shares because they eventually get their unpaid dividends.

Example

The company issued cumulative preference shares to attract long-term investors who required a guaranteed return, even during periods of low liquidity.
- accrued
- non cumulative
4 legal evidence (adj.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Formal Law

describes extra evidence that just repeats what has already been proven.

referring to evidence or testimony that provides no new information but merely reinforces facts already established by other evidence.

Example

The judge decided the extra witness was cumulative and did not need to speak.

Example

The prosecution's attempt to call a fifth eyewitness was blocked by the defense on the grounds that the testimony would be purely cumulative.
- repetitive
- corroborative

Origin

From cumulate + -ive. Compare also French cumulatif, Italian cumulativo and Spanish cumulativo.