Word
piecemeal
Phoneticspiece·meal
US/ˈpisˌmiɫ/
UK/pˈiːsmˌiːl/
Definitions
01done in stages
adj. done or made in small amounts or stages over time, rather than as a single complete plan.
adj. characterised by unsystematic or incremental development; occurring in separate parts rather than as a unified whole.
“The old house was repaired in a piecemeal way over many years.”
“The government's piecemeal approach to healthcare reform has led to significant inconsistencies in service quality across different regions.”
Academic
Usage
Usually placed before the noun it modifies.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02bit by bit
adv. happening gradually, one piece at a time.
adv. in a fragmented or incremental manner; piece by piece.
“The new regulations were introduced piecemeal to avoid shocking the market.”
“The evidence was released piecemeal to the press, ensuring the story remained in the headlines for several weeks.”
Formal
Usage
Typically functions as an adverb of manner following the verb.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“She pushed back at criticism from Zali Steggall and others that this week’s national cabinet agreement on gender-based violence was “piecemeal”.” “It was a topic of hot debate on fan sites whether or not she could feel pain, a question that was resolved piecemeal through the series.” Etymology
From Middle English pecemele, from pece (“piece”) + mele (from Old English mǣlum (“at a time”), dative plural form of mǣl (“time, measure”), taking the place of Old English styċċemǣlum (“in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually”); equivalent to piece + -meal.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/piecemeal