increasingly

American  

[in-kree-sing-lee] / ɪnˈkri sɪŋ li /

adverb

1. to an ever greater degree; more and more: Marketers are increasingly using video to create meaningful emotional connections with their consumers.

   He became increasingly nervous and overwrought and began to suffer bouts of depression.

   Marketers are increasingly using video to create meaningful emotional connections with their consumers.

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Etymology

Origin of increasingly

increasing ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

This adverb applies to anything that is happening more often, in greater numbers, or with greater intensity. An increasingly hot summer keeps getting hotter. To increase something is to add to it numerically, like increasing the size of your family by having a baby. Anything that happens increasingly is growing in some way. An increasingly depressed person keeps getting sadder. An increasingly sick patient keeps getting worse. An increasingly corrupt government is getting less and less honest. When you see this word, you know something is intensifying.

Example Sentences

Laguarta’s comments come as shoppers continue to seek ways to cut their grocery bills, and as big consumer-goods makers increasingly fight retailers’ store brands for shelf space and consumers’ attention.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

The researchers emphasize that reducing both the use of these feedstocks and their leakage is becoming increasingly important, especially as global demand for products like plastics continues to grow.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2026

Tamjidi, a self-proclaimed “zillennial,” said her bookstore’s events are popular among younger customers, who are increasingly seeking out social gatherings that don’t involve drinking or partying.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Investors have grown increasingly confident that the U.S. and Iran will eventually reach a peace deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, enabling oil and other commodities to move freely again.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Koffi followed the path as it wound, but it was becoming increasingly harder, and not just because of the heat.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

• more
• more and more
• progressively