incremental

American  

[in-kruh-men-tl, ing-] / ˌɪn krəˈmɛn tl, ˌɪŋ- /

adjective

1. increasing or adding on, especially in a regular series.

   small, incremental tax hikes.

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incremental British  

/ ˌɪnkrɪˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, using, or rising by increments

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Other Word Forms

• incrementally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of incremental

First recorded in 1675–85; increment + -al ¹

Explanation

If you are making incremental progress in math, you are moving slowly but steadily forward. Incremental describes regular, measurable movements that are usually small. Sometimes a basketball team might make a huge improvement, like a team that is 32-50 one year and then 50-32 the next. More often, progress is small and tiny — incremental. Anytime something is changing in any way, and the change is slow and steady, you can talk about incremental changes. A lot of life is like that. You might prefer to be making great or even miraculous progress, but incremental gains are better than none at all.

Example Sentences

The company’s 300 million pound incremental buyback is above expectations and is supportive of valuation, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

Moreover, they said, higher gas prices likely represented an opportunity for the chain to capture incremental business — particularly among wealthier customers and in its large grocery business.

From MarketWatch • May 17, 2026

The Department of Energy thinks we need 7,500 miles of incremental grid by the end of this decade.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

“It’s this cumulative effect of these incremental cost increases and complicating factors. That can be a huge blow at a time when you’re already really vulnerable.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

All of the possible reasons for why New York’s crime rate dropped are changes that happened at the margin; they were incremental changes.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell