: done, made, or accomplished piece by piece or in a fragmentary way
piecemeal reforms in the system
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
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2025
There are plenty of reasons why gallery rails and rods can be a smarter choice than hanging a gallery wall of art in piecemeal.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Sep. 2025
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025
Newsom’s long-overdue acknowledgement of a pending gasoline and price crisis — together with the Legislature’s last-minute actions — are a start but also a piecemeal approach to addressing a critical problem.
—Michael Mische, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piecemeal
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Adverb
Huckleberry Hound and his costars on the Hanna-Barbera series have never really disappeared — their adventures have been airing piecemeal off and on for decades — but their shows haven’t been available in their original form in over 60 years.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2025
There are plenty of reasons why gallery rails and rods can be a smarter choice than hanging a gallery wall of art in piecemeal.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
There have been a few piecemeal attempts to exercise more direct control over what happens in the college classroom.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025
Newsom’s long-overdue acknowledgement of a pending gasoline and price crisis — together with the Legislature’s last-minute actions — are a start but also a piecemeal approach to addressing a critical problem.
—Michael Mische, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piecemeal
Cite this Entry
“Piecemeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piecemeal. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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