as in accumulative
produced by a series of additions of identical or similar things a cumulative weight gain of 20 pounds over the course of a year

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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 cumulative In 2011, on his third mission, Mike Fincke set a new record for cumulative time in space by an American astronaut — 381 days. Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2025 So, while the individual impact is small, the cumulative cost is likely to be considerable. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025 Exposure to loud sound − which can be sudden, prolonged or cumulative − is the leading cause of tinnitus, according to the American Tinnitus Association. Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025 In the past 40 years, righties had a better cumulative ERA 20 times, and lefties 20 times, never separated by more than two-tenths of a run. Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cumulative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cumulative
Adjective
  • Overall, the accumulative impact of cost pressures represents a 20% to 25% increase over the agency’s current long-range financial plan.
    Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025
  • The accumulative effects of a whole comprised of many different foods with artificial dyes, consumed over a lifetime, is even harder to assess.
    Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • With all the flavor, sweetener, and additive options today, going overboard with less healthy coffee creations can be easy.
    Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 4 Sep. 2025
  • An effective additive decomposes during the initial battery cycles to form a stable interface on the electrodes.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Mamdani has taken a more aggressive approach than many traditional Democrats—who have historically championed incremental reform and avoided expansive tax policies targeting high earners.
    Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
  • In fact, Apple could emerge as the ultimate winner in the AI shake-up, capturing incremental value regardless of which company leads the next phase of search.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Talks are focusing on unwinding that whole cut in gradual monthly increments and the group has reached an agreement in principle to raise output by at least 135,000 bpd from October, two sources said.
    Robert Ilich, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The iPhone 17 Apple's vanilla one-size-fits-most iPhone is always the centerpiece of the lineup, and this year's iteration is expected to bring the typical batch of gradual iterative upgrades.
    Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cumulative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cumulative. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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