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.
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.
Progressive, of or relating to any of the Progressive parties in politics.
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.
relating to or being a form of taxation in which the rate increases with certain increases in taxable income.
of or relating to progressive education.
He worries that progressive schools achieve less solid mastery than conventional schools.
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.
Medicine/Medical. continuously increasing in extent or severity, as a disease.
a person who is progressive or who favors progress or reform, especially in political matters.
Progressive, a member of a Progressive party.
Grammar.
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.
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.
of or relating to progress
proceeding or progressing by steps or degrees
(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
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
(of a tax or tax system) graduated so that the rate increases relative to the amount taxed Compare regressive
(esp of a disease) advancing in severity, complexity, or extent
(of a dance, card game, etc) involving a regular change of partners after one figure, one game, etc
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.''
a person who advocates progress, as in education, politics, etc
the progressive aspect of a verb
a verb in this aspect
history a member or supporter of a Progressive Party
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
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While studying at-home care, she met Lisa, who has primary progressive multiple sclerosis, and her partner Gary, who cares for her.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
Flanking Bass on the left is Nithya Raman, a progressive City Council member who was once the mayor’s political ally.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
The fight for women’s suffrage, the prohibition movement and other progressive achievements marked the years before the sesquicentennial.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Tory Gavito, the president of Way to Win, a progressive donor network and research organization, told Salon that she sees the autopsy as basically agnostic on what, if anything, the Democrats should stand for.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
I had studied Sweden’s progressive approach to the rehabilitation of criminal offenders as a graduate student and had long marveled at how focused on recovery their system appeared.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
