accumulative

American  

[uh-kyoo-myuh-ley-tiv, -luh-tiv] / əˈkyu myəˌleɪ tɪv, -lə tɪv /

adjective

1. tending to accumulate or arising from accumulation; cumulative.

2. tending to accumulate wealth; acquisitive.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unaccumulatively
  adverb
• unaccumulative
  adjective
• nonaccumulativeness
  noun
• accumulatively
  adverb
• unaccumulativeness
  noun
• nonaccumulatively
  adverb
• nonaccumulative
  adjective
• accumulativeness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of accumulative

First recorded in 1645–55; accumulate + -ive

Compare meaning

How does accumulative compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cumulative vs. accumulative

Example Sentences

As for questions about her age, she said, "I have accumulative youth."

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

There’s something about AI being this accumulative source that is like what genre is based on — moves we make to move forward based on looking back at how structures and language are built.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024

"Additionally, our study revealed that multiyear La Niña are distinguished from single-year La Niña by a conspicuous onset rate, which foretells its accumulative intensity and climate impacts."

From Science Daily • Sep. 21, 2023

She said it was an 11.5% increase in April, and an "accumulative increase" of more than 30% since 2018.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2023

This was a great event in the history of the United States, and it has grown in importance and in appreciative remembrance from that day to the present, as the accumulative evidence abundantly shows.

From Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror by Linthicum, Richard