gradual
Syllables: grad·u·al/ˈɡɹadʒuəl//ˈɡɹæd͡ʒuəl/
gradual adjective: proceeding or advancing by small, slow, regular steps or degrees.
Adjective
gradual (comparative more gradual, superlative most gradual)
- Proceeding or advancing by small, slow, regular steps or degrees
- a gradual increase of knowledge; a gradual decline
- Creatures animate with gradual life / Of growth, sense, reason, all summed up in man.1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
- Synonyms:
- stepwise, incremental, piecemeal, piecewise, slow
Noun
gradual (plural graduals)
- An antiphon or responsory after the epistle, in the Mass, which was sung on the steps, or while the deacon ascended the steps.
- A service book containing the musical portions of the Mass.
gradual meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
gradual in Hindi
- gradual, progressive, serial, successive, consecutive
- क्रमिक kramik
gradual in Tamil
- படிப்படியான
gradual in Urdu
- آہستہ, درجہ بادرجہ, تدریجی
gradual in Bengali
- ক্রমিক, ধীর, পর্যায়ক্রমিক
More languagesFewer languages
- gradual in Malayalam
- അനുക്രമമായ, ക്രമാഗതമായ, പൊടുന്നനേയുള്ളതല്ലാത്ത
- gradual in Kannada
- ಹಂತಹಂತವಾದ, ಕ್ರಮವಾದ, ಕ್ರಮೇಣವಾದ, ಸ್ವಲ್ಪಸ್ವಲ್ಪವಾದ
- gradual in Arabic
- تَدْرِيجِيّ tadrījiyy
Examples of gradual in a sentence
- A typical annual water level regime would include a gradual summer drawdown beginning in early May.
- The gradual uplift of mountains is the most common form of orogenous activity.
- A gradual descent into a haggard and feeble state.
Synonyms of gradual
Antonyms
Forms of gradual
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more gradual |
| superlative | most gradual |
| alternative form | graduall |
| Noun | |
| plural | graduals |
Origin of gradual
From Medieval Latin graduālis, from Latin gradus (“step”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰradʰ-, *gʰredʰ- (“to walk, go”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌹𐌸𐍃 (griþs, “step, grade”), Bavarian Gritt (“step, stride”).
Words formed from gradual
Questions about gradual
- What does gradual mean?
- Gradual means proceeding or advancing by small, slow, regular steps or degrees.
- What is gradual in Hindi?
- Gradual in Hindi is क्रमिक (kramik). See Gradual meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is gradual?
- Gradual can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce gradual?
- Gradual is pronounced /ˈɡɹadʒuəl/.
Words near gradual in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: gradual (page history and authors); क्रमिक (Hindi) (page history and authors); gradual (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); gradual (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); gradual (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); gradual (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); gradual (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-gradual.ogg.
Cite this entry: “gradual.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/gradual. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.