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

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Etymology

Origin of incremental

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

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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

See Examples For:

incremental

Johnson was the only one who didn’t discuss incremental changes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Wednesday’s data follows Beijing’s recent rollout of incremental stimulus measures, including mortgage subsidies, bank capital injections and new infrastructure spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

But the incremental disappearance of ordinary interactions raises a question worth considering: What happens when convenience becomes the organizing principle of our public lives?

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

He played in his first summer league games, showing incremental progress during games in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

But that desire was fundamentally at odds with the incremental pace and the serendipity of basic science.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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