as in gradual
proceeding or changing by steps or degrees the incessant step-by-step advance of the enemy's troops could no longer be resisted

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for step-by-step
gradual
Adjective
  • This year, the number of high school graduates will peak at around 3.9 million and then begin a gradual descent that will result in about 13% fewer by 2041.
    Paul Weinstein Jr, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
  • Instead, the change was a gradual softening, a growing sense that my shoulders had dropped a bit and my tongue wasn’t glued so tightly to the roof of my mouth.
    Anya Meyerowitz, Glamour, 9 May 2025
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“Step-by-step.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step-by-step. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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