as in consecutive
following one after another without others coming in between
the successional stages that an area goes through following a devastating forest fire
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Recent Examples of successional
This biological soil crust immobilizes shifting dunes and establishes a nutrient-rich substrate essential for the successional development of plant life.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
Periodic burning or disking, to maintain early successional growth and keep a field from becoming a young forest, tends to stimulate the growth of forbs.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
Periodic burning or disking, to maintain early successional growth and keep a field from becoming a young forest, tends to stimulate the growth of forbs.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for successional
Adjective
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There, the championship runs continued, with Tanter in a front-row seat to Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's march to three consecutive titles from 2000-2002.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
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Oh, and the win was the fourth consecutive victory for the scorching-hot Fever.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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Indecision in the market led to successive 17th-place finishes, but this could be the type of deal Spurs could shave millions off in the future if signings like these help to bring them back into Europe and strengthen their negotiating position.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
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Practice successive sowing, grow diverse plant varieties, and use flowers to attract pollinators to boost fruit production.—
Johanna Silver,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Successional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/successional. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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