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; 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

Irwin supports increasing federal funding for wildfire resilience.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

In response to a contract dispute, the Pentagon declared Anthropic a supply-chain risk unsuitable for military work, increasing the urgency of offering other models to servicemembers in classified settings.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Squeezing redistributes this uncertainty by making one property more precise while increasing uncertainty in the other.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2026

Parts of the act were later ruled unlawful by the High Court in Belfast increasing pressure on the government to change it.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

The increasing rate of executions in Alabama went against the national trend.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• accelerating
• deepening
• escalating
• growing
• intensifying