incremental

adjective

in·​cre·​men·​tal ˌiŋ-krə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

ˌin-

: of, relating to, being, or occurring in especially small increments

incremental additions

incremental change

incrementally

ˌiŋ-krə-ˈmen-tᵊl-ē 

ˌin-

adverb

Synonyms of incremental

• gradual

Examples of incremental in a Sentence

the incremental evolution of the collection from a specialized gallery into a comprehensive art museum

the incremental total for my collection of baseball cards

Recent Examples on the Web

Full self-driving RVs remain distant, but incremental assistance systems are expected to expand rapidly. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026

Systems are now solving competition-level problems, contributing incremental advances on open questions, and helping mathematicians explore large solution spaces far faster than before. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026

These units can be combined or expanded over time, allowing for a more incremental approach to building. —Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 14 Apr. 2026

Zooming out, some of the wins measured across the full pool of brands included incremental gains in on-screen representation of plus-size talent, 55-plus talent and nonwhite talent (though representation of the former two cohorts, respectively, still hasn’t reached 7 percent of screen time). —Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing incremental

• incremental repetition

Rhymes for incremental

• accidental
• compartmental
• continental
• detrimental
• elemental
• fundamental
• governmental
• incidental
• instrumental
• interdental
• monumental
• nonjudgmental