successive
Americanadjective
-
following in order or in uninterrupted sequence; consecutive.
three successive days.
-
following another in a regular sequence.
the second successive day.
-
characterized by or involving succession.
adjective
-
following another without interruption
-
of or involving succession
a successive process
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of successive
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin successīvus, equivalent to success ( us ), past participle of succēdere to succeed + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Successive is a word for things (or people) that follow each other in time. If three presidents in a row were over sixty, you could say, "Three successive presidents were over sixty." Successive is a word that comes up often when you're looking at the history of something. Back in the 1960s, eight successive Boston Celtics teams won the NBA championship. In school, if you do very well, you could get an A in three successive math classes. Even though successive has the word success in it, it's not necessarily a good thing: you could also miss ten successive free throws.
Vocabulary lists containing successive
Siddhartha
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The Joy Luck Club
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The Thing About Jellyfish
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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.
On Tuesday, Israel's state comptroller released a scathing report accusing successive governments of neglecting domestic weapons production and failing to maintain critical raw material reserves.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
But since he joined, Everton have not finished higher than eighth in the Premier League and they are in danger of missing out on European football for an eighth successive season.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Alonso is emerging as a potential target for Chelsea, but Murphy believes Liverpool should be even more ambitious and target Paris St-Germain coach Luis Enrique, currently on course for a second successive Champions League.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
China scholars, AI industry insiders and successive administrations have questioned Beijing’s strategic thinking and forthrightness.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
He was like a worn small rock whelmed by the successive waves of his voice.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
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.
