bottom-up

[bot-uhm--uhp]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or originating with the common people, nonprofessionals, or the lower ranks of an organization.

   The five-day workweek was a bottom-up movement that business leaders and politicians finally supported.

2. organized or proceeding from smaller, more detailed units to the larger, more general structure.

   His bottom-up approach to research involves immersing himself in communities to better understand the lives of local entrepreneurs.

bottom-up

adjective

1. from the lowest level of a hierarchy or process to the top

   a bottom-up approach to corporate decision-making

Word History and Origins

Origin of bottom-up¹

First recorded in 1930–35 as an adjective and in 1890–95 as an adverb, both deriving from the phrase “from the bottom up ”

Example Sentences

The US military "excels" because there is a "bottom-up" culture where units on the ground can make decisions as the situation evolves and alter their fighting strategies, Dr Raska notes.

Read more on BBC

In Harrisburg and Lancaster, these Christians are building a bottom-up and deeply moral movement that recognizes the material, spiritual and emotional needs of everyday people.

Read more on Salon

So that's a good way to get bottom-up messaging that will actually work.

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At a time when the former president was still on the defensive about Jan. 6, the Justice Department followed a bottom-up strategy targeting more than 1,500 rioters in its largest criminal investigation ever.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After all, bottom-up attempts by the Bush and Obama administrations to negotiate with Pyongyang proved to be both laborious and unsuccessful.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• reversed www.thesaurus.com
• upturned