cumulative

American  

[kyoo-myuh-luh-tiv, -ley-tiv] / ˈkyu myə lə tɪv, -ˌleɪ tɪv /

adjective

1. increasing or growing by accumulation or successive additions.

   the cumulative effect of one rejection after another.

2. formed by or resulting from accumulation or the addition of successive parts or elements.

3. 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.

---

cumulative British  

/ ˈkjuːmjʊlətɪv /

adjective

1. growing in quantity, strength, or effect by successive additions or gradual steps

   cumulative pollution

2. gained by or resulting from a gradual building up

   cumulative benefits

3. finance

   1. (of preference shares) entitling the holder to receive any arrears of dividend before any dividend is distributed to ordinary shareholders

   2. (of dividends or interest) intended to be accumulated if not paid when due

4. statistics

   1. (of a frequency) including all values of a variable either below or above a specified value

   2. (of error) tending to increase as the sample size is increased

---

Other Word Forms

• cumulatively
  adverb
• cumulativeness
  noun
• uncumulative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cumulative

First recorded in 1595–1605; cumulate + -ive

Compare meaning

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

• cumulative vs. accumulative

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.

Example Sentences

"Cumulative trauma, cumulative adverse experiences and ongoing instability and unpredictability certainly put these children at higher risk... of developing psychiatric disorders and negative mental health outcomes," Evelyne Baroud, a child and adolescent psychiatrist told AFP.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Cumulative breadth has made new all-time highs this week, though, and that is a positive thing for the market in general.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

Cumulative cases of measles in South Carolina since September, the largest outbreak in the U.S. in a quarter century.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

Cumulative voting could also help protect minority communities.

From Slate • Aug. 27, 2025

Cumulative mortalities of these previously unexposed peoples from Eurasian germs ranged from 50 percent to 100 percent.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• aggregate
• increasing