increasingly

American

[in-kree-sing-lee] / ɪnˈkri sɪŋ li /

adverb

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.

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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.

War is increasingly defined by unmanned systems, artificial intelligence and mass precision.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

The two companies are the dominant players in the theme-park industry, locked in an increasingly intense battle for Orlando following Comcast’s opening of Epic Universe in May 2025.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

It’s become increasingly difficult for CBS or other major networks to make money on a topical show when the majority of the audience, particularly younger viewers, watch snippets on YouTube.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

They included Theatre Royal Plymouth, which is quoted as saying "producing new work independently is increasingly challenging".

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

But such a model becomes increasingly complicated as we try to describe the behaviour of things further and further away from Earth, across the Solar System.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023