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• progressive
  progressive

  adjective

  favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, especially in political matters.
• Progressive
  Progressive

  noun

  history a member or supporter of a Progressive Party

progressive

American  

[pruh-gres-iv] / prəˈgrɛs ɪv /

adjective

1. favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, especially in political matters.

   The city recently elected a progressive mayor.

   Synonyms:

   liberal

2. making progress toward better conditions; employing or advocating more enlightened or liberal ideas, new or experimental methods, etc..

   We are a progressive community supporting and connecting innovative artists from many different cultures.

3. Progressive, of or relating to any of the Progressive parties in politics.

4. going forward or onward; passing successively from one member of a series to the next; proceeding step by step.

   We are seeing a progressive increase in average temperatures worldwide.

   Synonyms:

   continuous, straight, successive, consecutive

5. relating to or being a form of taxation in which the rate increases with certain increases in taxable income.

6. of or relating to progressive education.

   He worries that progressive schools achieve less solid mastery than conventional schools.

7. Grammar. designating a verb aspect or other verb category used for an action or state in process at a particular point of reference in time, whether past, present, or future.

8. Medicine/Medical. continuously increasing in extent or severity, as a disease.

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noun

• progressives
  plural

1. a person who is progressive or who favors progress or reform, especially in political matters.

2. Progressive, a member of a Progressive party.

3. Grammar.

   1. a verb aspect or other verb category used for an action or state in process at a particular point of reference in time, whether past, present, or future.

   2. an instance or form of a verb in this aspect, such as They are thinking about it, I was reading when you called, or Tomorrow I will be traveling to Boston.

progressive ¹ British  

/ prəˈɡrɛsɪv /

adjective

1. of or relating to progress

2. proceeding or progressing by steps or degrees

3. (often capital) favouring or promoting political or social reform through government action, or even revolution, to improve the lot of the majority

   a progressive policy

4. denoting or relating to an educational system that allows flexibility in learning procedures, based on activities determined by the needs and capacities of the individual child, the aim of which is to integrate academic with social development

5. (of a tax or tax system) graduated so that the rate increases relative to the amount taxed Compare regressive

6. (esp of a disease) advancing in severity, complexity, or extent

7. (of a dance, card game, etc) involving a regular change of partners after one figure, one game, etc

8. denoting an aspect of verbs in some languages, including English, used to express prolonged or continuous activity as opposed to momentary or habitual activity

   a progressive aspect of the verb ``to walk'' is ``is walking.''

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noun

1. a person who advocates progress, as in education, politics, etc

2. 1. the progressive aspect of a verb

   2. a verb in this aspect

Progressive ² British  

/ prəˈɡrɛsɪv /

noun

1. history a member or supporter of a Progressive Party

2. Canadian history a member or supporter of a chiefly agrarian reform movement advocating the nationalization of railways, low tariffs, an end to party politics, and similar measures: important in the early 1920s

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a Progressive Party, Progressive movement, or Progressives

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonprogressiveness
  noun
• progressiveness
  noun
• progressivism
  noun
• progressivist
  noun
• progressivity
  noun
• semiprogressiveness
  noun
• ultraprogressiveness
  noun
• unprogressiveness
  noun
• antiprogressive
  adjective
• nonprogressive
  adjective
• quasi-progressive
  adjective
• semiprogressive
  adjective
• ultraprogressive
  adjective
• unprogressive
  adjective
• progressively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• progressives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of progressive

First recorded in 1600–10; progress + -ive

Explanation

People who are progressive favor reform and believe that government should play a big role in improving society. This word is the opposite of conservative, which means "favoring tradition; resistant to change." Although it's often used in political contexts as a synonym of liberal, progressive can also be used in a more general sense. You're a progressive thinker if you like to come up with new ways of doing things and you’re open to change. A progressive tax increases the tax rate in increments: higher earners pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes. In the field of grammar, progressive refers to a type of verb tense that describes ongoing action. This word applies to lots of things that slowly increase, change, or progress.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

progressive Progressive progressives

Many of the diseases that cause dementia are progressive, leading over time to worsening memory loss, confusion, behavioral changes, physical decline and ultimately death.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

His appointment as Cambridge's youngest ever black professor at the age of 37 in 2023 was hailed at the time as a progressive moment.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

To reduce their power, the author suggested things like the reintroduction of mandatory retirement ages or the creation of a progressive tax on homes to encourage downsizing.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The actor’s family said in a statement to TMZ that Michael Wright died on Wednesday in Los Angeles from apparent heart failure and complications associated with Marchiafava-Bignami, a rare and progressive neurological disorder.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

This is a regular procedure provided for by the enlightened and progressive laws of our state.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Progressive state Sen. Aisha Wahab will replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell in Congress and finish his current term.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Farther south in Tulare County, the pumping fees are too high for small farmers, said Tekoah Kadara, associate executive director of the Allensworth Progressive Assn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Progressive paid $8 billion variable dividends for 2025, three times its 2024 payout.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

On Wednesday, Progressive reported that net premiums earned rose 6% in the quarter ended June 30, to $21.57 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

In Parliament, Helen Suzman, the representative of the liberal Progressive Party, cast the lone vote against the act.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

She has helped draw an entire generation of progressives into politics, and totally changed the game for young people, young women, and democratic socialists.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

But as excitement over his campaign began to mount among progressives on a national level, Ryan said, El-Sayed’s public posture swung to a middle ground.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

So while it may seem like progressives and conservatives in the U.S. agree on little or nothing, they seem to be finding some common ground on solutions to the housing crisis.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

In graphics, we break down how different groups of Democrats—leadership, progressives, millennials—shifted on Israel, and who led the way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Middle-class progressives, disgusted by the corrupt politics of both Thompson and Sweitzer, threw their weight behind an independent reformer.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Related Words

• forward-looking
• forward-thinking
• left
• left of center
• leftist
• liberal
• reformist