increased 1 of 2

adjective

in-ˈkrēst How to pronounce increased (audio)
Definition of increasednext
as in elevated
being at a higher level than average an increased concentration of sugar in the bloodstream

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

increased

2 of 2

verb

past tense of increase
1
as in expanded
to make greater in size, amount, or number we have to increase the number of season-ticket holders if the local sports franchise is to survive

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accelerated
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the number of Internet users increased exponentially during the 1990s

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 increased
Adjective
Weather conditions act as wildcards, while increased demand remains a constant source of pressure. — Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026 Although the majority of studies showed this effect, Yendamuri noted that some did not identify a relationship – and a couple of studies even showed an increased risk of some specific cancers, such as thyroid cancer. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank and the steady expansion of SEC disclosure requirements have increased both direct compliance costs and management distraction. — Jeff Jacobs, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 While the space is only 10 percent bigger, the redesign has increased the number of fitting stations from four to six, allowing more customers to be serviced at the same time. — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for increased
Recent Examples of Synonyms for increased
  1. elevated
  2. expanded
  3. accelerated
  4. high
  5. augmented
  6. rose
  7. heightened
  8. boosted
Adjective
  • The blowout news from SpaceX’s Q3 earnings wasn’t the rocket and AI giant’s outstanding performance that far exceeded even the analysts’ elevated expectations, but Elon Musk’s revelation that SpaceX and Tesla are weighing a merger.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Analysts attributed elevated gas prices to ongoing fighting in the Middle East, which has damaged oil infrastructure and forced firms to take up costly means of transporting crude.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of elevated
Verb
  • Trump has vastly expanded ICE to ramp up deportations of immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, and the agency was a major part of last year’s law-enforcement surge in the Chicago area known as Operation Midway Blitz.
    — Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Open Doors Foundation, which began operations in 2025 and quickly expanded before running into zoning and code issues at multiple properties this year, has sought to remain open at 3221 Independence Avenue, its original location.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of expanded
Verb
  • During the demonstration, a Roadster prototype accelerated up a massive curved ramp.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The sell-off accelerated Wednesday after hotter-than-expected consumer inflation data raised concerns that the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates elevated for longer.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of accelerated
Adjective
  • The View From Midland Despite the year’s geopolitical turmoil, there’s a newfound sense of economic stability in Midland that, for the first time in the city’s history, doesn’t seem to depend on sustained high oil prices.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Another was that lower government spending for public health programs was leading to higher costs for private sector plans.
    — Alana Semuels, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of high
Verb
  • His income will be augmented by a deal to help control Haiti’s porous border with the Dominican Republic for the next 10 years in return for 10% of any new customs revenue collected.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • There is a naturalistic aesthetic to the film, augmented by the locations, the costumes and the hair and makeup design.
    — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of augmented
Verb
  • His family, like many Lebanese Jews, left as anti-Jewish sentiment rose after the 1967 war between Israel and Arab countries.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Then mines started to close and unemployment rose, and its owner, an elderly Italian named Netta Cavalli, was beaten in her shop and died soon after.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of rose
Adjective
  • These are songs that iterate and elevate minor party fouls into dramas of symphonic proportion, arrangements that articulate the heightened emotions churning inside anxious minds.
    — Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Washington should thus be prepared for the possibility that stepped-up efforts to terminate the war may coincide with heightened security risks in Europe.
    — Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of heightened
Verb
  • Swedish defense giant Saab reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings and revenue on Friday, as new orders more than tripled from a year earlier, boosted by a deal to supply Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Behind-the-scenes engineering modifications over the last year have boosted not only the attraction’s reliability, but allowed its capacity to increase by about 125 people per hour.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of boosted

Browse Nearby Words

increase
increased
increases
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Increased.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/increased. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of emissary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All