1
as in gradual
proceeding or changing by steps or degrees the incremental evolution of the collection from a specialized gallery into a comprehensive art museum

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in cumulative
produced by a series of additions of identical or similar things the incremental total for my collection of baseball cards

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incremental Though in keeping with the series’ overall tone, this awareness is only incremental. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 10 July 2025 Bit by bit, incremental wins on the cases can add up to powerful precedents. Sacbee.com, 9 July 2025 There have also been incremental drops in some of Ohtani’s underlying numbers, including exit velocity (95.5 mph average before May 10; 93.3 mph average since) and swing speed (76.3 mph before; 75.8 mph since) according to data from Baseball Savant. Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025 Almost all parties agreed at the time that incremental changes would have been preferable to a stalemate – after all, some progress is better than none. Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for incremental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incremental
Adjective
  • The storm is moving toward the west-northwest and this motion is expected to continue over the next couple of days with a gradual decrease in forward speed.
    Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025
  • The chart shows steady collections around $2-4 billion from 2015-2017, followed by gradual increases to $6-8 billion through 2020-2024, then a sharp upward spike in 2025 reaching a peak of $27.2 billion in June 2025.
    Steve Kopack, NBC news, 31 July 2025
Adjective
  • In broader terms, Age Debt is the cumulative burden organizations face as our populations age, birth rates plummet, the internal skills gap heightens, multigenerational issues grow, and various economic structures fail to keep pace.
    Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
  • Mariners third basemen have been worth a cumulative 0.1 bWAR this season, 14th in MLB.
    Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incremental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incremental. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on incremental

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!