escalation

noun

es·​ca·​la·​tion

plural -s

1

: an increase (as in the price of an article or in a ship's tonnage) that counteracts an unjust discrepancy (as between the price of a product and the cost of material or between the tonnage of one nation's ships and that of another when both are regulated by the same treaty)

specifically : the adjustment of prices proportionally and usually periodically and automatically to an alteration (such as a rise) in the cost of materials or a similar adjustment of wages to an alteration in the cost of living

2

: an increasing in extent, volume, number, amount, or scope

escalatory

ˈeskələˌtōrē 

-ˌtȯr-, 

÷-kyə-

adjective

Word History

Etymology

escalator + -ion

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Rhymes for escalation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation