gradually

American  

[graj-oo-uh-lee] / ˈgrædʒ u ə li /

adverb

1. by small degrees or little by little.

   The hurricane moved northwestward to northward for two days, gradually weakened to a depression, and then turned eastward.

   Over the following decades, the curriculum was gradually expanded, with additional offerings in history, government, languages, geology, and geography.

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Other Word Forms

• ungradually
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of gradually

gradual ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gradually

Members of her party, Vente Venezuela, have gradually emerged from hiding in recent months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

If those disturbances gradually disappeared, the system returned to stability.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Planets can then grow from material left over around the newborn star, gradually gathering matter and shaping paths through the surrounding disk.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Yu added that Beijing hopes, through the "geographical integration" of the two cities, "to gradually dissolve the borders".

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

She went on her way, just another robot on the street, and those perky voices gradually faded behind her.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• constantly
• continuously
• deliberately
• gently
• increasingly
• moderately
• progressively
• regularly
• steadily