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

These incremental steps have helped the coffee chain stem a sales decline in China since earlier this year, with comparable sales returning to growth in the past two quarters. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

These are incremental details on the company's $500 billion revenue forecast, details on OpenAI deployments, the ramp of its Rubin chip next year and the potential for Nvidia to resume its China business. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025

With stunning celerity, possibility becomes probability and then certainty, as readers reject the quiet, circuitous, and unglamorous narratives of prudential compromise, ambiguous diplomacy, or incremental progress. —Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025

Lower rates help the economy, but mostly in small, incremental ways. —David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2025

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