stepwise

[ step-wahyz ]

adverb
  1. in a steplike arrangement.

  2. Music. from one adjacent tone to another: The melody ascends stepwise.

adjective
  1. Music. moving from one adjacent tone to another: stepwise melodic progression.

Origin of stepwise

1
First recorded in 1885–90; step + -wise

Words Nearby stepwise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use stepwise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stepwise

stepwise

/ (ˈstɛpˌwaɪz) /


adjective
  1. arranged in the manner of or resembling steps

  2. music, US proceeding by melodic intervals of a second

adverb
  1. with the form or appearance of steps; step by step

  2. music, US in a stepwise motion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012