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

Employers increasingly emphasize demonstrated competencies, project-based experience and practical problem-solving abilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

The Clarity Act, a market-structure bill that some crypto bulls say could unleash the asset class, also looks increasingly unlikely to pass this year, Baird said.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

These corporations can in turn work together in vast alliances, running increasingly complex military and industrial operations which go on for years.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

The artificial-intelligence race has catapulted stocks to fresh highs this year and kept credit markets on fire — but bond investors are increasingly worrying about the people being left behind.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

During this period, plastic increasingly filled landfills and oceans while its production—up to 8 million tons annually by 2020—contributed to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• more
• more and more
• progressively