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stepwise

American  
[step-wahyz] / ˈstɛpˌwaɪz /

adverb

  1. in a steplike arrangement.

  2. Music. from one adjacent tone to another.

    The melody ascends stepwise.

adjective

  1. Music. moving from one adjacent tone to another.

    stepwise melodic progression.
stepwise British  
/ ˈstɛpˌwaɪz /

adjective

  1. arranged in the manner of or resembling steps

  2. music proceeding by melodic intervals of a second

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. with the form or appearance of steps; step by step

  2. music in a stepwise motion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of stepwise

First recorded in 1885–90; step + -wise

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Stepwise, I raised the drain every day, and we performed a head CT.

From Washington Post • Jul. 31, 2020

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.