increasing

American  

[in-kree-sing] / ɪnˈkri sɪŋ /

adjective

1. growing larger or greater; enlarging; augmenting.

2. Mathematics. (of a function) having the property that for any two points in the domain such that one is larger than the other, the image of the larger point is greater than or equal to the image of the smaller point; nondecreasing.

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Usage

What does increasing mean? Increasing is an adjective that means growing or rising—becoming greater or more in number, amount, size, or in some other way. It comes from the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb increase, which means to become greater or more in number, amount, size, or in some other way, as in Our profits will increase as demand increases. The word increased can also be used as an adjective to describe things that have risen or grown, as in an increased appetite. Example: The increasing value of the dollar.

Other Word Forms

• increasingly adverb
• unincreasing adjective

Etymology

Origin of increasing

First recorded in 1590–1600; increase, -ing ²

Explanation

Increasing means getting bigger or expanding. You'll be glad to have an increasing income, but perhaps less glad to have an increasing pants size. The adjective increasing describes anything that grows or becomes greater. Increasing volume from your neighbor's radio will drive you crazy, since it's getting louder and louder. If your tiny school attracts increasing numbers of new students, it's likely that new teachers will need to be hired. Increasing comes from the verb increase, or grow, with its Latin root word, increscere, "to grow upon, grow over, swell, or grow into."

Example Sentences

YouTube Music subscriptions will also see increases, with the individual plan rising from $10.99 to $11.99 a month and the family plan increasing from $16.99 to $18.99 a month.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The business is changing along with increasing levels of wealth, a rising generation of new owners, and demand for sustainable vessels.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

"Although there has been a total increase of 16 percent worldwide, that does not mean that lighting is increasing everywhere," explained Christopher Kyba.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

CoreWeave previously expanded its agreement with OpenAI to supply data-center capacity, increasing the total contract value to $22.4 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

We explored each planet, in order of increasing distance from the sun: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

Related Words

• accelerating
• deepening
• escalating
• growing
• intensifying