as in gradual
proceeding or changing by steps or degrees
a piecemeal attempt to remedy the traffic congestion
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in gradually
by small steps or amounts
remodeled their house piecemeal because of budgetary constraints
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of piecemeal
Brett Simpson, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
The department has taken a piecemeal approach to releasing the files, which are expected to contain hundreds of thousands of pages.
—Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 23 Dec. 2025
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
However, overall stats for veterans and disabled individuals continue to be piecemeal, tracking with their invisibility both in conversations surrounding equity and basic accessibility.
—Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piecemeal
Adjective
In an article published this month in the journal The Yearbook of Polar Law, Tsiouvalas and his co-authors, Mana Tugend and Romain Chuffart, argue that piecemeal updates to current laws simply will never keep up with this fast-changing and threatened environment.
—Brett Simpson, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
The department has taken a piecemeal approach to releasing the files, which are expected to contain hundreds of thousands of pages.
—Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 23 Dec. 2025
Adverb
In the United States, regulation has emerged piecemeal at the state level, creating a legal patchwork that varies dramatically depending on jurisdiction.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
However, overall stats for veterans and disabled individuals continue to be piecemeal, tracking with their invisibility both in conversations surrounding equity and basic accessibility.
—Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piecemeal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piecemeal
Adjective
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This time around, her wavy lob is cut at a soft, gradual angle, so that the front dips only slightly longer than the back.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
13 Jan. 2026
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Through food rewards and gradual trust-building, the birds learn to travel in a crate and to sit on a perch and a glove during a program.—
Beth Lipoff,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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But Roto-Rooter has gradually repurchased most of its old franchisees and expanded its service business.—
Alexander Coolidge,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Jan. 2026
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Wednesday will be mostly cloudy before gradually becoming more sunny.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Everything there fell apart and perished, as though the steppe were a field of deadly frequency, annihilating, on a molecular level, any object that happened into it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
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Sharks general manager Mike Grier and Sherwood’s camp have had initial discussions about what the Ohio native’s next contract would look like, and the two sides were reportedly far apart in negotiations.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Piecemeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piecemeal. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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