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Synonyms

gradually

American

[graj-oo-uh-lee] / ˈgrædʒ u ə li /

adverb

by small degrees or little by little.

The hurricane moved northwestward to northward for two days, gradually weakened to a depression, and then turned eastward.
Over the following decades, the curriculum was gradually expanded, with additional offerings in history, government, languages, geology, and geography.

Other Word Forms

ungradually

adverb

Etymology

Origin of gradually

gradual ( def. ) + -ly

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.

In Beijing, when officials who had once sought out Western journalists gradually clamped up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

At the start of April, the age at which you receive it began to gradually creep up, rising from 66 years to 67 years by March 2028.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

Only gradually did Korkejian understand that she probably would not be coming back.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026

Constitutional rights, she explains, do not operate on a sliding scale where more intrusion gradually transforms into a search.

From Slate • Jun. 29, 2026

But gradually the voices merged into a low rumble and faded into the distance.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

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.