cumulative
Americanadjective
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increasing or growing by accumulation or successive additions.
the cumulative effect of one rejection after another.
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formed by or resulting from accumulation or the addition of successive parts or elements.
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of or relating to interest or dividends that, if not paid when due, become a prior claim for payment in the future.
cumulative preferred stocks.
adjective
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growing in quantity, strength, or effect by successive additions or gradual steps
cumulative pollution
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gained by or resulting from a gradual building up
cumulative benefits
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finance
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(of preference shares) entitling the holder to receive any arrears of dividend before any dividend is distributed to ordinary shareholders
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(of dividends or interest) intended to be accumulated if not paid when due
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statistics
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(of a frequency) including all values of a variable either below or above a specified value
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(of error) tending to increase as the sample size is increased
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cumulative
Compare meaning
How does cumulative compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The adjective cumulative describes the total amount of something when it's all added together. Eating a single chocolate doughnut is fine, but the cumulative effect of eating them all day is that you'll probably feel sick. The origin of cumulative is helpful in remembering the meaning; it comes from the Latin cumulatus for "to heap." If something is cumulative, it is heaped together so it can be counted up to get a total number. The cumulative snowfall for the whole winter isn't just the amount of snow that fell in one month, but rather the number of inches that fell every month that winter to get the total, cumulative, amount.
Vocabulary lists containing cumulative
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Prior to enforcement escalation in June, the three emergency rooms saw a cumulative weekly average of 1,943 U.S.-born patients and 2,367 foreign-born patients, with the majority hailing from Mexico and Central or South America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
The wear and tear is cumulative, adding up over time like it does for all contact sports.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
"Consider spending time in the sun," said Nardi, explaining the importance of cumulative heat exposure.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
“It’s really just cumulative stories over the last two years,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The cumulative daily output of these 636 men was probably huge, a sad symbol of their thwarted energies.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
