piecemeal

1 of 2

adverb

piece·​meal ˈpēs-ˌmēl 

-ˈmēl

1

: one piece at a time : gradually

2

: in pieces or fragments : apart

piecemeal

2 of 2

adjective

: done, made, or accomplished piece by piece or in a fragmentary way

piecemeal reforms in the system

Synonyms of piecemeal

Adverb

• gradually
• bit by bit

Adjective

• gradual

Examples of piecemeal in a Sentence

Adverb

remodeled their house piecemeal because of budgetary constraints

one well-aimed blow ripped the piñata piecemeal

Adjective

They've done piecemeal repairs in the past, but the bridge now needs major reconstruction.

Some people want the changes to be made all at once, but I think we should take a more piecemeal approach.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Called Agent Pay for Machines, the new network is meant to make smaller money transfers easier when, for example, an AI agent wants to access data piecemeal from a website. — Ben Weiss, Fortune, 10 June 2026

Isolated, piecemeal learning focused on discrete tools won’t accomplish that. — Andrew Sales, Forbes.com, 8 June 2026

Adjective

In typical Brooks fashion, the tour dates will be announced piecemeal, city by city. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2026

But turning that fractured and piecemeal popularity into a more direct competitor in the American sports landscape has proved exceedingly difficult for men’s soccer. — Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1593, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for piecemeal

• bookmobile
• cochineal
• nonideal
• peroneal
• philomel
• snowmobile
• waterwheel
• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel

Kids Definition

piecemeal

1 of 2 adverb

piece·​meal ˈpē-ˌsmēl 

1

: one piece at a time : gradually

2

: in pieces : apart

piecemeal

2 of 2 adjective

: done, made, or accomplished piece by piece or in an incomplete way

piecemeal reforms