GRADUALLY Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

gradually

adverb

as in slowly

by small steps or amounts gradually worked his way down the class roster add the sugar to the beaten egg whites gradually to make the meringue

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 gradually In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, young boys gradually become feral and sadistic when trapped on an island together, and in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero magically shipwrecks his brother and his allies so that they will all be exiled together under his watch. —

Literary Hub, 11 May 2026 The sky will continue to gradually clear from northwest, to southeast, across Maryland Monday afternoon and early evening. —

Cutter Martin, CBS News, 11 May 2026 The market is gradually beginning to recover, and the fair is one example of how Ukrainian artists are ready not only to speak about the war, but to sell paintings. —

ABC News, 11 May 2026 As with any exercise, start with light resistance and gradually increase your load and training volume over time. —

Jenessa Connor, Health, 11 May 2026 Cecilia’s arrival gradually upends the family’s routines. —

Callum McLennan, Variety, 11 May 2026 South African health authorities said on Monday that the condition of a British man admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg and being treated for hantavirus was gradually improving. —

Mike Corder, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026 Temperatures will gradually warm through the week, beginning on Monday, when temperatures are expected to be 5 to 10 degrees warmer than on Sunday. —

Kansas City Star, 11 May 2026 Once a bromeliad flowers, the original plant gradually declines. —

Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gradually

Adverb

In practice, those decisions often get revisited in every meeting, slowly drifting until the calendar forces the club to commit.

— Shivaas Gulati, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026
But slowly over that first season—and then dozens more, as the show became the most influential reality show in the history of TV—the game took center stage.

— Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026