as in incremental
proceeding or changing by steps or degrees a gradual drop in gas prices will take place over the next several months

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 gradual The alternative is nothing less than a gradual homogenization of our cultural landscape, where machine learning flattens the richness of human expression into a mediocre statistical average. ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025 On the subway, 1981: The Sony Walkman, first imported to America in 1980, introduced the idea of personal stereo anywhere and began the gradual shutting out the city around us. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 25 Apr. 2025 Since then, though, the right-hander’s four-seam speeds have been on a gradual decline, even before taking a sharp dip in Saturday’s first inning. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2025 Trends generally fall into two categories: Evolutionary Trends: These are gradual shifts – think better, faster, or cheaper versions of what already exists. Dileep Rao, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gradual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gradual
Adjective
  • Less than one month later, Beijing is taking an incremental step to challenge the status quo.
    Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
  • The opportunities to scale its business and generate significant incremental revenue in the digital media space are enormous.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gradual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gradual. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on gradual

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!