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
While temperatures will gradually decline later in the week, Fresno’s highest temperatures are expected to remain above 90 degrees through Friday before more seasonable conditions arrive over the weekend.
—
Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2026
There are hidden pathways, jungle gyms, koi ponds and lounging spaces that reveal themselves gradually over the course of your stay.
—Arion McNicoll, TheWeek, 15 June 2026
Once completed in Spain, the new organ was disassembled and its parts were gradually transported to Prague on trucks.
—ABC News, 15 June 2026
That allows water to seep gradually down through the top few inches of soil where plants’ roots live, lingering long enough so that roots can absorb it.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
The results showed all three properties began increasing roughly three hours before the eruption, suggesting the sun's magnetic field was gradually becoming more unstable.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 15 June 2026
Rain chances gradually lower for the middle of the workweek but will slowly start to increase for Juneteenth through Father's Day Weekend.
—Shane Hinton, CBS News, 15 June 2026
In the current outlook, conditions are already present and are expected to strengthen into the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2026–27, which suggests this event could persist from its development phase in 2026 into early 2027 before gradually weakening.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 June 2026
That trust is being rebuilt gradually as solutions take hold across different parts of the market, but some pressures take longer to resolve than others.
—Chuck Bonfiglio, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2026
There are hidden pathways, jungle gyms, koi ponds and lounging spaces that reveal themselves gradually over the course of your stay.
—Arion McNicoll, TheWeek, 15 June 2026
Once completed in Spain, the new organ was disassembled and its parts were gradually transported to Prague on trucks.
—ABC News, 15 June 2026
That allows water to seep gradually down through the top few inches of soil where plants’ roots live, lingering long enough so that roots can absorb it.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
The results showed all three properties began increasing roughly three hours before the eruption, suggesting the sun's magnetic field was gradually becoming more unstable.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 15 June 2026
Rain chances gradually lower for the middle of the workweek but will slowly start to increase for Juneteenth through Father's Day Weekend.
—Shane Hinton, CBS News, 15 June 2026
In the current outlook, conditions are already present and are expected to strengthen into the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2026–27, which suggests this event could persist from its development phase in 2026 into early 2027 before gradually weakening.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 June 2026
That trust is being rebuilt gradually as solutions take hold across different parts of the market, but some pressures take longer to resolve than others.
—Chuck Bonfiglio, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gradually
Adverb
-
Further up, life was slowly starting to return downtown with the grounds of the national palace once more serving as the seat of the government after years of being off-limits due to the violence.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
-
The area where a coach’s fingerprints are most evident is on special teams, and Vegas’ power play slowly deteriorated down the stretch.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Adverb
-
Operations began in the Treasure Island Beach area where the girl was last seen and progressively expanded based on ocean conditions, currents and waves.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
Cognitive skills generally improve with deliberate, focused and progressively more challenging training.—
Supreet Kaur,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gradually.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gradually. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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