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Definition of cumulative
1a : made up of accumulated partsb : increasing by successive additions
2 : tending to prove the same point cumulative evidence
3a : taking effect upon completion of another penal sentence a cumulative sentenceb : 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 interestb of stock : bearing such a dividend cumulative preferred stock
cumulatively
adverbcumulativeness
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
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 of cumulative from the Web
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For the shares to vest in such a transaction, its price would have to represent a cumulative return of 2.75 times Blackstone’s invested capital in the deal.
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By 2027, the cumulative cost to California would be $74.1 billion, according to the analysis.
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To be eligible for the Academic All-Conference team, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of the spring semester and were required to compete in at least one-half of their teams' competitions.
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To be effective, sunglasses must block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB light; UV damage is cumulative, so always wear sunglasses when out of doors.
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Nguyen, a National Honors Society member, has a 4.25 cumulative GPA.
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For example, new hires are now eligible for raises after 22 weeks, instead of a year; and for the first four months of this year, turnover fell 2 percentage points compared with a year ago, to a cumulative 8.5 percent.
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Toyota now offers four models and has sold a cumulative 845 boats.
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The United States is the second biggest emitter of carbon dioxide worldwide (and has contributed, with Europe, 52% of the share of cumulative carbon emissions since industrialization).
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cumulative'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of cumulative
see cumulate
CUMULATIVE Defined for English Language Learners
cumulative
playDefinition of cumulative for English Language Learners
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: increasing or becoming better or worse over time through a series of additions
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: including or adding together all of the things that came before
CUMULATIVE Defined for Kids
cumulative
playDefinition of cumulative for Students
: increasing (as in force, strength, amount, or importance) over time Rainy weather had a cumulative effect on the crops.
Medical Dictionary
cumulative
playMedical Definition of cumulative
: increasing in effect by successive doses (as of a drug or poison) cumulative poisoning by organochlorine pesticides—Jack Clincy
cumulatively
adverbLaw Dictionary
cumulative
playLegal Definition of cumulative
1 : increasing by successive additions
2 : tending to prove the same point cumulative testimony
3 : following in time
Learn More about cumulative
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See words that rhyme with cumulative Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cumulative Spanish Central: Translation of cumulative Nglish: Translation of cumulative for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cumulative for Arabic speakers
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