incremental

American  

[in-kruh-men-tl, ing-] / ˌɪn krəˈmɛn tl, ˌɪŋ- /

adjective

1. increasing or adding on, especially in a regular series.

   small, incremental tax hikes.

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incremental British  

/ ˌɪnkrɪˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, using, or rising by increments

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Other Word Forms

• incrementally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of incremental

First recorded in 1675–85; increment + -al ¹

Explanation

If you are making incremental progress in math, you are moving slowly but steadily forward. Incremental describes regular, measurable movements that are usually small. Sometimes a basketball team might make a huge improvement, like a team that is 32-50 one year and then 50-32 the next. More often, progress is small and tiny — incremental. Anytime something is changing in any way, and the change is slow and steady, you can talk about incremental changes. A lot of life is like that. You might prefer to be making great or even miraculous progress, but incremental gains are better than none at all.

Example Sentences

We are increasing our price target to $173 from $151 on incremental revenue estimates starting in late 2027.

From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026

“War-risk premiums can add a significant incremental cost to a voyage, particularly when both premium rates and cargo values increase,” said Marvin.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 18, 2026

That’s an incremental 4% boost on overall 2025 Ebitda of $7.58 billion.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

Coal continues to anchor base-load stability, while renewables drive incremental capacity growth, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

It was the kind of work necessary for an incremental war effort.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse