ENGLISH
REFERENCE

successive

adj.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //səkˈsɛsɪv// UK //səksˈɛsɪv// suc·ces·sive

adj. following one after another in a regular order without any gaps. You use it to describe things that happen in a row.

adj. following in uninterrupted order or sequence. Typically used to describe events, time periods, or generations that occur one after another.


SIMPLE

The team won three successive games this month.

CONTEXTUAL

After four successive days of heavy rain, the local river finally began to overflow its banks.

COMPLEX

The historian argued that the decline of the empire was not caused by a single event, but by the failures of three successive administrations to address economic instability.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin succedere (“to succeed in”).

Usage

Typically precedes the noun it modifies; frequently used with numbers to indicate a specific sequence length.

Pitfall

three successful days of rainthree successive days of rainLearners often confuse 'successive' (following in order) with 'successful' (achieving a desired result).

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