progressive

adjective

pro·gres·sive | \ prə-ˈgre-siv

Definition of progressive

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of, relating to, or characterized by progress

b : making use of or interested in new ideas, findings, or opportunities

c : of, relating to, or constituting an educational theory marked by emphasis on the individual child, informality of classroom procedure, and encouragement of self-expression

2 : of, relating to, or characterized by progression

3 : moving forward or onward : advancing

4a : increasing in extent or severity a progressive disease

b : increasing in rate as the base increases a progressive tax

5 often capitalized : of or relating to political Progressives

6 : of, relating to, or constituting a verb form that expresses action or state in progress at the time of speaking or a time spoken of

7 : of, relating to, or being a multifocal lens with a gradual transition between focal lengths progressive bifocals

8 : or, relating to, or using a method of video scanning (as for television or a computer monitor) in which the horizontal lines of each frame are drawn successively from top to bottom — compare interlaced

progressive

noun

Definition of progressive (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : one that is progressive

b : one believing in moderate political change and especially social improvement by governmental action

2 capitalized : a member of any of various U.S. political parties: such as

a : a member of a predominantly agrarian minor party that around 1912 split off from the Republicans specifically : bull moose

b : a follower of Robert M. La Follette in the presidential campaign of 1924

c : a follower of Henry A. Wallace in the presidential campaign of 1948

Other Words from progressive Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about progressive

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Examples of progressive in a Sentence

Adjective

the progressive movements of the hands of a clock progressive forms of animal life

Noun

“Believe” is never used in the progressive.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The Bold Type is one of the most progressive shows on TV right now. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "9 Incredibly Petty Issues I Have With The Bold Type," 17 Apr. 2019 Democrats lost huge amounts of ground among non-college whites with conservative racial attitudes, while staying the same or even improving among those with more progressive views. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The 9 thinkers who made sense of 2018’s chaos," 27 Dec. 2018 On this, one of the most progressive states may be a surprise — Kansas. — Christina A. Cassidy, The Seattle Times, "More than 20 states have never had a woman as governor," 29 Oct. 2018 Garcia, on the other hand, has run a more progressive race, routinely slamming Trump's policies. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Dem revolt threatens another incumbent," 12 Sep. 2018 Crowley recently lost his his primary reelection race to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has an even more progressive housing platform—that housing should be a human right. — Alissa Walker, Curbed, "Can a federal tax credit help rent-burdened Americans?," 20 July 2018 Murphy is seeking a second term in the U.S. Senate, where his role in the Trump opposition has put him on the radar of progressive Democrats for the 2020 presidential election. — Neil Vigdor, courant.com, "College Suitemates: Chris Murphy And Walker Stapleton, GOP Nominee For Colorado Governor," 29 June 2018 Green, 23, of College Park, wants to move the Democratic Party in a more progressive direction. — Jess Nocera, Laurel Leader, "Early voting for the primary begins," 13 June 2018 Seattle is one of the most progressive cities in the country. — Alana Semuels, The Atlantic, "How Amazon Helped Kill a Seattle Tax On Business," 13 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

For progressives, the only thing worse than Starbucks founder Howard Schultz getting into the 2020 presidential race might be Donald Trump suffering a debilitating heart attack. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "Howard Schultz Is Right About Medicare for All," 1 Feb. 2019 For progressives in the United States, Denmark seems like a socialist paradise. — Jillian Weinberger, Vox, "Denmark gives new fathers paid leave. Why do so few take it?," 14 Dec. 2018 A few years ago one could watch social-justice activists shouting at speakers on campus and conclude the country still has bigger problems than intolerant young progressives. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Google’s Advisory Board Crash and Burn," 5 Apr. 2019 More and more candidates are mothers of young children, veterans, and progressives in traditionally Republican strongholds. — Jill Filipovic, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Future Is Female in the Midterm Elections," 4 Oct. 2018 The result was a major disappointment to Texas Democrats and many progressives nationally, who saw a rare opportunity with O’Rourke — a third-term lawmaker from El Paso, a largely remote and isolated district in Texas. — Stavros Agorakis, Vox, "“I’m so fucking proud of you guys”: watch Beto O’Rourke’s emotional concession speech," 7 Nov. 2018 In particular, there aren’t too many progressives who are currently in leadership roles. — Kayla Webley Adler, Marie Claire, "Meet Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand," 23 July 2018 Kenney came under fire from progressives last week after police destroyed the anti-ICE camp in Center City. — Holly Otterbein, Philly.com, "Mayor Kenney met with immigrant advocates, 'abolish ICE' protesters Monday," 9 July 2018 To be sure, many progressives still opposed certain rules President George W. Bush had put in place, but these new rules ameliorated their concerns, while also drawing the support of conservatives. — Melissa Rogers, Washington Post, "President Trump just unveiled a new White House ‘faith’ office. It actually weakens religious freedom.," 14 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'progressive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.