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

With its thriving tech sector and pragmatic policy culture, Colorado is well positioned to model that balance by embracing incremental, accountable policymaking. —Stefani Langehennig, The Conversation, 21 Nov. 2025

In pit garages, engineers argue over code revisions, analyze telemetry, and celebrate incremental gains. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 21 Nov. 2025

Still, in a 435-seat House where just three or four districts can decide control, Rubashkin warned against dismissing such incremental fights. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 19 Nov. 2025

These incremental stages of improvement carried them to a savage 5-1 victory against Uruguay yesterday, a result like no other in Mauricio Pochettino’s reign to date. —Phil Hay, New York Times, 19 Nov. 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