ENGLISH
REFERENCE

incremental

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌɪnkɹəˈmɛntəɫ// UK //ˌɪnkɹɪmˈɛntəl// in·cre·men·tal

adj. happening in small, steady steps over a long time rather than all at once. You use this to describe progress or changes that build up slowly.

adj. occurring or becoming larger by a series of small, gradual stages. Often used to describe processes where each step adds to the previous one.


SIMPLE

The company makes incremental improvements to the software every month.

CONTEXTUAL

Instead of a total redesign, the team decided on an incremental approach to update the website over several months.

COMPLEX

The scientist argued that the breakthrough was not a sudden discovery but the result of incremental advancements made by researchers over several decades.

Origin

From increment + -al.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun. Frequently collocates with 'change', 'progress', 'improvement', or 'increase'.

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