# successively

/səkˈsɛsɪvɫi/ (US) · /səksˈɛsɪvli/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Adverb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/successively
Updated: 2026-05-11

## Definition

one after another in a specific order. You use this when things happen in a sequence without any gaps.

For teachers: following in a sequence or uninterrupted order; consecutively.

## Examples

- The team won three games successively.
- The runner broke the world record three times successively during the summer season.
- The historian argued that the three successively elected leaders each contributed to the eventual collapse of the empire through increasingly isolationist policies.

## Pitfalls

- Not "They arrived successively at 5:00." but "They arrived at 5:00, 5:10, and 5:20 respectively." — Learners often confuse 'successively' (one after another) with 'respectively' (in the order mentioned).

## Usage notes

- Typically follows the verb or the object of the clause.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.