cumulative effect
noun
: an effect produced by something happening over a long period of time
the cumulative effect(s) of smoking on the body
Examples of cumulative effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For dual-income couples, where both spouses may have traditional IRAs generating RMDs, the cumulative effect on household taxable income — and therefore on Social Security benefit taxation — can be substantial.
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Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Many of the fragments spreading through the digital panopticon comprise real footage of real events, but their cumulative effect is far from a cogent portrait.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026
Each move complicated Ukraine’s response, and over time the cumulative effect reshaped the strategic environment before open warfare actually began in February 2022.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026
Despite the extensive partisan maneuvering by multiple states to redraw maps, the cumulative effect has produced minimal net change in House seat allocation, with the Cook Political Report forecasting the outcome as essentially a wash that benefits neither party in a meaningful way.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
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Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Many of the fragments spreading through the digital panopticon comprise real footage of real events, but their cumulative effect is far from a cogent portrait.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026
Each move complicated Ukraine’s response, and over time the cumulative effect reshaped the strategic environment before open warfare actually began in February 2022.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026
Despite the extensive partisan maneuvering by multiple states to redraw maps, the cumulative effect has produced minimal net change in House seat allocation, with the Cook Political Report forecasting the outcome as essentially a wash that benefits neither party in a meaningful way.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cumulative effect
Cite this Entry
“Cumulative effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cumulative%20effect. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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