Gradual Change Vocabulary

gradual development over time

“The evolution of language is a continuous process.”

Origin: Latin: evolutio (unrolling), from evolvere (to unfold)

a movement or development toward a goal

“The progression from novice to expert takes years.”

Origin: Latin: progressio (a going forward), from progredi (to advance)

a scale of successive degrees or stages

“The gradation of colors in the sunset was breathtaking.”

Origin: Latin: gradatio (a climbing), from gradus (step)

relating to a small increase or addition

“Incremental improvements eventually led to major advances.”

Origin: Latin: incrementum (growth), from increscere (to increase)

growth by gradual accumulation

“The accretion of small decisions shaped the company's culture.”

Origin: Latin: accretio (increase), from accrescere (to grow)

gradual wearing down or weakening

“The war of attrition exhausted both sides.”

Origin: Latin: attritio (a rubbing away), from atterere (to rub against)

the gradual destruction or weakening of something

“The erosion of civil liberties happened slowly, almost imperceptibly.”

Origin: Latin: erosio (a gnawing away), from erodere (to eat away)

a gradual change from one state to another

“The modulation in her voice revealed her uncertainty.”

Origin: Latin: modulatio (a measuring), from modulari (to measure)

to adjust precisely for a particular function

“We need to calibrate our approach based on feedback.”

Origin: Arabic: qalib (mold, last) via Latin caliber

to perform repeatedly; to make successive versions

“We iterate on the design until it meets requirements.”

Origin: Latin: iterare (to repeat), from iterum (again)