increasingly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of increasingly
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“That’s why we are seeing organizations increasingly hire CFOs as potential CEO successors from the outset.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
People increasingly spent time with colleagues who shared their language or nationality.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Age verification for social media users is becoming increasingly popular by regulators around the world, though implementing such policies has proven complex and difficult.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
At the same time, investors have been increasingly questioning the return on investment of Alphabet’s AI endeavors, especially amid delays and high-profile departures from the company’s DeepMind lab.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
He had then moved to England: Papin was a Protestant and life was becoming increasingly uncomfortable for Protestants in France.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
