incrementally
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of incrementally
First recorded in 1825–35; incremental ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
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.
A careful student of the game, she studies matchups and patrols the court with a composed efficiency that incrementally drains big hitters and outmaneuvers most rivals long before the final score confirms it.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
PulteGroup’s “rich” supply of optioned lots “allows for incrementally more efficient capital allocation from the management team and, in our view, likely keeps PHM as a top share repurchaser in our group,” he wrote.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
Progress often comes incrementally, but occasionally major steps forward occur.
From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2026
That’s when the central bank ended its quantitative-tightening program, or efforts to incrementally shrink its balance sheet without disruptions, and started purchasing Treasury bills to add reserves back into the system.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026
The buyer of the swap—the buyer of insurance—would be paid off not all at once, if and when the entire pool of mortgages went bust, but incrementally, as individual homeowners went into default.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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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.