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

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

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

Etymology

Origin of progressive

First recorded in 1600–10; progress + -ive

Example Sentences

He was very much influenced by Norman Lear, the creator of “All in the Family,” who blended his Hollywood career with progressive activism.

From Los Angeles Times

It is unclear why the hundreds of protesters targeted The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, which have long been regarded as secular and progressive.

From BBC

The child of a Pentecostal school principal raised outside Portland, Ore., Waggoner grew up witnessing tension between religious groups and a progressive local government.

From The Wall Street Journal

The E-Ray also features a Weather drive mode, with more progressive throttle response and earlier traction interventions, widening the margins of driver control.

From The Wall Street Journal

Amazon is “‘almost universally recognized’ as the leader in warehouse and fulfillment robotics space,” Ms. Warren and other progressives wrote to Biden Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan in September 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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