cumulative

adjective

cu·​mu·​la·​tive ˈkyü-myə-lə-tiv 

-ˌlā-

1

a

: increasing by successive additions

b

: made up of accumulated parts

2

: tending to prove the same point

cumulative evidence

3

a

: taking effect upon completion of another penal sentence

a cumulative sentence

b

: increasing in severity with repetition of the offense

cumulative penalty

4

: formed by the addition of new material of the same kind

a cumulative book index

5

: summing or integrating overall data or values of a random variable less than or less than or equal to a specified value

cumulative normal distribution

cumulative frequency distribution

6

finance

a

: to be added if not paid when normally due to the next payment or a future payment

cumulative preferred dividends

cumulative interest

b

of stock : bearing such a dividend

cumulative preferred stock

cumulatively adverb

cumulativeness noun

Synonyms of cumulative

• accumulative
• additive
• incremental
• gradual

Examples of cumulative in a Sentence

… Game Boy, which first came out in 1989 as a monochrome handheld toy, has become the most successful of all of the systems, reaching cumulative sales of 110 million units to date … —N'gai Croal, Newsweek, 28 May 2001

They began looking at the cumulative effect of stress and realized that, while there might have been an incident that finally triggered the madness, a series of previous events had lowered the soldier's emotional resistance. —Michael Fleming and Roger Manvell, Psychology Today, July 1987

Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another, you have only an extemporaneous, half possession. —Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance," in Essays,  1841

a cumulative weight gain of 20 pounds over the course of a year

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s slightly less than half the cumulative emissions of Washington state, where both companies are headquartered. — Matt Day, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

The film has reached a cumulative total of $209 million since launching on July 29, continuing its run as the top-grossing Hollywood import in China this year. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026

Underneath the surface, the Fashion Studio intuitively harnesses the cumulative power of leading AI models without overwhelming the designer with having to learn a new technology to do the same job. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 17 Aug. 2026

One of the more striking findings comes in the cumulative payload to orbit by nation. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see cumulate

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing cumulative

• cumulative distribution function
• cumulative effect

Kids Definition

cumulative

adjective

cu·​mu·​la·​tive ˈkyü-myə-lət-iv 

-ˌlāt-

: increasing (as in force, strength, or amount) by additions one after another

cumulative effects

cumulatively adverb

cumulativeness noun

Medical Definition

cumulative

adjective

cu·​mu·​la·​tive ˈkyü-myə-lət-iv, -ˌlāt- 

: increasing in effect by successive doses (as of a drug or poison)

cumulative poisoning by organochlorine pesticides

—Jack Clincy

cumulatively adverb

Legal Definition

cumulative

adjective

cu·​mu·​la·​tive ˈkyü-myə-lə-tiv, -ˌlā- 

1

: increasing by successive additions

2

: tending to prove the same point

cumulative testimony

3

: following in time