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
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Recent Examples of gradually
Britain didn’t withdraw, but its Royal Navy gradually redistributed its ships.
—
Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Ease off the accelerator gradually and avoid abrupt braking to prevent skidding.
—Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 4 May 2026
Take your foot off the accelerator and let your speed drop gradually.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Without an atmosphere, the surface would be especially vulnerable to this process, known as space weathering, which gradually breaks down and darkens rock.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 4 May 2026
Showers could linger into Wednesday night before gradually tapering off, with cooler air settling in and lows dropping into the 50s.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2026
Why Nutrition Needs Change as You Age As people age, the body’s metabolic rate—how much energy the body uses—gradually changes.
—Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 4 May 2026
In 1983, with Social Security facing insolvency, Congress passed legislation that gradually raised the full retirement age to 67.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Snow will gradually clear late Wednesday with much warmer temperatures expected on Thursday.
—Alex Lehnert, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Ease off the accelerator gradually and avoid abrupt braking to prevent skidding.
—Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 4 May 2026
Take your foot off the accelerator and let your speed drop gradually.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Without an atmosphere, the surface would be especially vulnerable to this process, known as space weathering, which gradually breaks down and darkens rock.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 4 May 2026
Showers could linger into Wednesday night before gradually tapering off, with cooler air settling in and lows dropping into the 50s.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2026
Why Nutrition Needs Change as You Age As people age, the body’s metabolic rate—how much energy the body uses—gradually changes.
—Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 4 May 2026
In 1983, with Social Security facing insolvency, Congress passed legislation that gradually raised the full retirement age to 67.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Snow will gradually clear late Wednesday with much warmer temperatures expected on Thursday.
—Alex Lehnert, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gradually
Adverb
-
But the device did start to heat up around the eight minute mark and the results started slowly coming in.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Over the last 15 years, countries including Canada and Ireland have slowly built up animation hubs, aided by their local talent and lucrative production incentives specific to animation and visual effects.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
In the task involving different tones, the researchers found that individual hippocampal neurons discriminated between standard and unexpected tones by making their response to the latter progressively more distinct.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
-
Xi’s government has been progressively cranking up the use of alternative tools, from rare earths to technology.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gradually.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gradually. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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