Synonyms

inchmeal

American

[inch-meel] / ˈɪntʃ mil /

adverb

by inches; inch; inch by inch; little by little.

inchmeal British

/ ˈɪntʃˌmiːl /

adverb

gradually; inch by inch or little by little

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of inchmeal

First recorded in 1520–30; inch ¹ + -meal

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.

We are making inchmeal progress across the gritty surface of the Red Planet heading toward a distant crater.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2022

As some most beautiful one, with lovely taunting, Her eyes of guileless guile o'ercanopies, Does her hid visage bow, And miserly your covetous gaze allow, By inchmeal, coy degrees, Saying—"Can you see me now?"

From Sister Songs; an offering to two sisters by Thompson, Francis

He could be as patient as Death, that inchmeal stalker of his prey; he could be as ruthless as the sea, and incredibly generous upon occasion.

From The Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay by Hewlett, Maurice Henry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023