gradual

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈɡɹadʒuəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #24771

Meanings

1

adj
Happening slowly over a long period of time, in small steps.

There has been a gradual increase in prices this year.
2

adj
Rising or falling gently, not steeply.

The path climbed the hill on a gradual slope.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · happening slowly over a... incrementalslowstepwise

Opposites

abrupt sudden

Word family

Forms gradualness

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

gradual change
a transformation that happens slowly and in stages over time

Adjective + noun

Etymology

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”).

graduālis la-med gradus Latin *gʰradʰ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# gradual

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈɡɹadʒuəl/
**Frequency rank:** 24771

## Meanings
1. Happening slowly over a long period of time, in small steps.
2. Rising or falling gently, not steeply.

## Examples
- There has been a gradual increase in prices this year.
- The path climbed the hill on a gradual slope.

## Antonyms
- abrupt
- sudden

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: graduālis
- Root: gradus
- Root: *gʰradʰ-

## Etymology
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”).

## AI Etymology
Gradual comes 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”). In current use, the main senses are “Happening slowly over a long period of time, in small steps” and “Rising or falling gently, not steeply”.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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