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

Brands are increasingly sponsoring interest-based community groups, like Rummikub clubs and dad groups, to reach consumers offline.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

It is still unclear whether these genetic variants influence weight loss outcomes from GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which are increasingly used to treat obesity.

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026

The visit will have been a welcome respite for the prime minister, who has faced increasingly strained diplomatic ties with China, rising prices and a sluggish economy since coming to office in October.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

The same report said consumers are increasingly paying not just for function, but for emotional resonance, identity, and psychological comfort.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

If evenings were pleasant, daytimes grew increasingly tense.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• more
• more and more
• progressively