successional

adjective

Definition of successionalnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for successional
  1. consecutive
  2. successive
Adjective
  • The Red Sox have also won nine consecutive series, the second-longest streak in franchise history behind an 11-series run in 1912.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The title has once again stolen hearts on streaming this summer with Nielsen ranking it as the top reality title on streaming for six consecutive weeks as of mid-July.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of consecutive
Adjective
  • These include possible improvements to the airframe, engine integration, and aerodynamic design, suggesting that engineers are continuing to evaluate and enhance the aircraft through successive flight tests.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The Paks plant, which uses water from the Danube to cool its reactors, on Monday was producing only 240 megawatts of power rather than the usual 2,000 because of successive power-downs of its four reactors.
    — Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of successive

Browse Nearby Words

succession
successional
successionally
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Successional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/successional. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All