accretion

accretion

noun

Definition of ACCRETION

1

a mass or quantity that has piled up or that has been gathered over a period of time <a thick accretion of ice in a freezer that obviously had not been cleaned for some time>

Synonyms accretion, assemblage, collection, cumulation, cumulus, gathering, lodgment (or lodgement), pileup

Related Words agglomerate, assortment, congeries, conglomerate, conglomeration, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, jumble, medley, mélange, mishmash, mix, mixture, motley, potpourri; agglomeration, clutter, hash, heap, litter, mass, pile; aggregate, aggregation, sum, totality; backlog, cache, fund, hoard, inventory, kitty, nest egg, reserve, stock, stockpile, store, supply

2

something added (as by growth) <accretions of lime have thickened the cave's stalactites and stalagmites over the centuries>

Synonyms accretion, accrual, addendum, addition, augmentation, boost, expansion, gain, increment, more, plus, proliferation, raise, rise, step-up, supplement, uptick

Related Words accumulation, assemblage, collection, gathering; complement; accession, appendix, continuation, extension, uptrend, upturn; jump, run-up, spike

Near Antonyms deduction, subtraction

Antonyms abatement, decline, decrease, decrement, depletion, diminishment, diminution, drop-off, fall, falloff, lessening, loss, lowering, reduction, shrinkage, step-down