accretive

adjective

ac·​cre·​tive ə-ˈkrē-tiv 

: relating to or characterized by accretion : produced by or growing by a series of additions of identical or similar things

an accretive process

accretive crystals [=crystals formed by accretion]

Companies need to be able to issue stock at high prices to fund acquisitions that are accretive to earnings.

—Bethany McLean

To [Ben] Zobrist, an ideal clubhouse is one where you can't tell whether a team has lost or won four games in a row. That's possible because of the steady, accretive cadence of baseball, a sport in which alternating games of no hits and three hits will win you a batting title.

—Bruce Schoenfeld

Synonyms

• accumulative
• additive
• conglomerative
• cumulative
• incremental

Examples of accretive in a Sentence

the story of his encounter with the bear was awash with accretive exaggeration, the bear becoming larger with each retelling of the tale

Recent Examples on the Web

While Dick’s expects the transaction to be accretive to earnings in the first full fiscal year post-close, and to deliver between $100 million and $125 million in cost synergies, Foot Locker has been struggling for some time. —Gabrielle Fonrouge,ali McCadden, CNBC, 15 May 2025

There are also several billions of dollars worth of expense and network synergies that should make this deal highly accretive to earnings per share. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025

Payne told Newsweek the impacts of this would be cyclical and accretive, as the 25 percent tariffs result in higher car prices, dampening consumer demand and reducing the need for production facilities. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025

Analysts were quick to come to Capital One’s defense , noting that the deal would still be accretive if Discover’s subprime portfolio was sold. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above