Showing results for "increasing"

• present participle of increase.

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

• unincreasing
  adjective
• increasingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of increasing

First recorded in 1590–1600; see origin at 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

See Examples For:

increasing

Wildfire smoke, which is increasing in the Northern Hemisphere as the climate warms, attacks nearly every system in the body.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Last summer, the Super Lig recorded the third-highest net transfer spend in world football behind only the Premier League and Saudi Pro League, highlighting the league's increasing ambition.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Honeywell Aerospace cut full year 2026 financial guidance while many of its peers are increasing their outlooks.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Climate change and environmental disturbance have aided an increasing creep of the territories ticks inhabit—along with the viruses, bacteria, and pathogens they carry.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

Connor glowered at me, his ticcing increasing by the moment.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

Related Words

• accelerating
• deepening
• escalating
• growing
• intensifying