progressive

1 of 2

adjective

pro·gres·sive prə-ˈgre-siv

Synonyms of progressive next

: of, relating to, or characterized by progress

: making use of or interested in new ideas, findings, or opportunities

: of, relating to, or constituting an educational theory marked by emphasis on the individual child, informality of classroom procedure, and encouragement of self-expression

: of, relating to, or characterized by progression

: moving forward or onward : advancing

: increasing in extent or severity

a progressive disease

: increasing in rate as the base increases

a progressive tax

often capitalized : of or relating to political Progressives

: of, relating to, or constituting a verb form that expresses action or state in progress at the time of speaking or a time spoken of

: of, relating to, or being a multifocal lens with a gradual transition between focal lengths

progressive bifocals

: or, relating to, or using a method of video scanning (as for television or a computer monitor) in which the horizontal lines of each frame are drawn successively from top to bottom compare interlaced

progressively adverb

progressiveness noun

progressive

2 of 2

noun

: one that is progressive

: one believing in moderate political change and especially social improvement by governmental action

capitalized : a member of any of various U.S. political parties: such as

: a member of a predominantly agrarian minor party that around 1912 split off from the Republicans

specifically : bull moose

: a follower of Robert M. La Follette in the presidential campaign of 1924

: a follower of Henry A. Wallace in the presidential campaign of 1948

Example Sentences

Adjective the progressive movements of the hands of a clock progressive forms of animal life Noun “Believe” is never used in the progressive.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Crime took center stage in both elections, but in Philadelphia, Cherelle Parker, the more centrist aspirant who made beefing up law enforcement a forefront issue, prevailed, whereas Brandon Johnson, a progressive contender who was hammered on policing, ultimately won in the Windy City. —

Ryan King, Washington Examiner, 17 May 2023 Her nomination to serve as US attorney quickly drew opposition from conservative members of Congress who opposed her progressive stance. —

Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023 Even though this ruling was pretty progressive for a kris, for Paulina, this was two steps back. —

The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2023 Some of the more progressive plastic manufacturers are looking into that future, but there is a huge amount of resistance. —

Quartz Staff, Quartz, 16 May 2023 While their childhoods were decades and continents apart, Gabriel’s taste for African rhythms and Carter’s exposure to gospel music gave them a natural affinity for people from other cultures and shaped their progressive views on race. —

Kristi York Wooten, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2023 The Working Families Party and other progressive Democrats have made great strides in New York, winning seats and pushing a left-leaning agenda on the City Council and in the State Legislature. —

Emma G. Fitzsimmons, New York Times, 14 May 2023 On the other side, conservation advocates, sustainable farmers and progressive businesses oppose diverting climate funds for other purposes. —

Kathleen Merrigan, Fortune, 8 May 2023 Trey Walsh Trey Walsh is a progressive, bitcoiner and advocate for young adults facing uncertainty in today’s world. —

Mikal Koss, Forbes, 4 May 2023

Noun

As tensions grow, can progressives and moderates get along? —

Fifth & Mission Podcast, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 May 2023 But its progress in the House was complicated by the multitrillion-dollar Build Back Better social-spending bill championed by Democratic progressives who threatened to hold the infrastructure bill hostage until Sinema and Manchin agreed to pass the bills in tandem. —

Robert Draper, New York Times, 1 May 2023 But some progressives say the White House should take notice of the movement’s down-ballot wins. —

Will Weissert And Sara Burnett, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2023 Still, a notable difference between the two situations is the goodwill from the left that Fetterman has built, compared with progressives’ complaints about Feinstein — even before her hospitalization. —

Mark Murray, NBC News, 14 Apr. 2023 The House progressive is running against two Democratic colleagues, Reps. Katie Porter of Irvine and Adam B. Schiff of Burbank, who have raised more money than Lee and are performing better in the polls. —

Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023 Others in the party, however, urged progressives to pump the breaks. —

Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2023 This troubles some progressives, who see Wisconsin’s tradition of clean, transparent elections slipping away for good. —

Dan Kaufman, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2023 Many progressives embraced Covid-era abnormality as a catalyst for revolutionary social change. —

Noah Rothman, National Review, 15 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'progressive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.