Word
increasingly
Phoneticsin·creas·ing·ly
US/ɪnˈkɹisɪŋɡɫi/
UK/ɪnkɹˈiːsɪŋli/
Definition
adv. more and more as time goes on. You use it to describe a situation that is growing or changing steadily.
adv. to an escalating degree or in a manner that shows steady growth over time.
Examples
“The weather is becoming increasingly cold.”
“As the deadline approached, the team found it increasingly difficult to stay focused on the minor details.”
“In an increasingly globalized economy, local businesses must find unique ways to differentiate their services from international competitors who benefit from massive economies of scale.”
Examples
simple
“The weather is becoming increasingly cold.”
contextual
“As the deadline approached, the team found it increasingly difficult to stay focused on the minor details.”
complex
“In an increasingly globalized economy, local businesses must find unique ways to differentiate their services from international competitors who benefit from massive economies of scale.”
Usage
Typically placed before the adjective or adverb it modifies, or before the main verb.
Pitfall
The problem is increasing difficult
The problem is increasingly difficult
Learners often use the participle 'increasing' as an adverb; 'increasingly' is required to modify an adjective.
Real-World Examples
Common in science writing
“Depopulated areas have increasingly lost access to basic services such as education, healthcare, leisure and transport, making them less attractive to families and working professionals.” “The violence is the latest sign of armed groups increasingly targeting cities and urban centres in Africa’s Sahel region.” “Betting on what people say is becoming an increasingly popular category of prediction market sites.” “It also identifies increasingly hidden advertising tactics as a means to exploit children to increase online spending.” Etymology
From Middle English encreessingli, equivalent to increasing + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/increasingly