incremental

American  

[in-kruh-men-tl, ing-] / ˌɪn krəˈmɛn tl, ˌɪŋ- /

adjective

1. increasing or adding on, especially in a regular series.

   small, incremental tax hikes.

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incremental British  

/ ˌɪnkrɪˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, using, or rising by increments

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Other Word Forms

• incrementally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of incremental

First recorded in 1675–85; increment + -al ¹

Explanation

If you are making incremental progress in math, you are moving slowly but steadily forward. Incremental describes regular, measurable movements that are usually small. Sometimes a basketball team might make a huge improvement, like a team that is 32-50 one year and then 50-32 the next. More often, progress is small and tiny — incremental. Anytime something is changing in any way, and the change is slow and steady, you can talk about incremental changes. A lot of life is like that. You might prefer to be making great or even miraculous progress, but incremental gains are better than none at all.

Example Sentences

We are increasing our price target to $173 from $151 on incremental revenue estimates starting in late 2027.

From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026

Yet with inventories building, positioning net short and incremental supply rising, UBS sees “downside risk emerging if demand does not recover and marginal tons begin to exit.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026

Ford at the time forecast a $1.5 billion to $2 billion of one-time incremental costs to secure alternatively sourced aluminum “until the Novelis facility is operating at full throughput later this year.”

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

They distribute checklists and tax organizers in late December, urging clients to make incremental progress early in tax season to avoid last-minute stress.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

What composers could impose instead of incremental change were more abrupt contrasts of loud and soft, like the juxtaposition of light and shade, chiaroscuro, in painting.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall