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.

---

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

Some analysts say Japanese industry, such as shipbuilding and electronic systems, could become increasingly competitive in the global defence market.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026

Major customers like Microsoft and Meta are increasingly developing in-house chips, spreading AI spending beyond Nvidia.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

The restaurant industry has been engaged in a protracted discount war, after many chains raised menu prices to cover pandemic-related costs and spooked increasingly value-conscious customers in the process.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026

For example, companies operating in the European Union may increasingly seek credits to comply with strict emissions standards there.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026

Another one is funny—a list of increasingly ridiculous excuses to get out of a punishment.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• more
• more and more
• progressively