Incremental
ˌɪnkrɪˈmentəl
Definitions
Relating to or characterized by an increase or addition, especially one of a series of increases or additions.
ˌɪnkrɪˈmentəl
Happening or done in small steps or stages.
The company implemented an incremental approach to software development, releasing new features in phases.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're building a LEGO castle. You don't build the whole thing at once! You add a few bricks at a time, right? That's incremental. It's about doing things bit by bit to get to the final result.
👶 For kids: Doing something a little bit at a time, like building a tower with blocks, one block at a time!
More Examples
The diet recommended incremental changes to eating habits, making it easier to adopt healthier behaviors.
The scientist observed incremental progress in the experiment.
How It's Used
"Incremental improvements in product design led to increased sales."
"Incremental backups only save data that has changed since the last backup."
"The teacher uses an incremental approach to learning, introducing one concept at a time"
Idioms & expressions
incremental cost
The additional cost of producing one more unit of a product or service.
"The company analyzed the incremental cost of producing an extra thousand units of the product to decide whether to increase production."
incremental improvements
Small, gradual advancements in a process or product.
"The new version of the software features incremental improvements based on user feedback."
From Late Latin *incrementum* (increase) + -al (suffix). Related to the verb 'increment' which comes from the Latin *increscere* (to increase, grow).
The term 'incremental' and its related forms have been used since the early 17th century. Early uses relate to the increase of size or quantity, and gradually evolved to describe a step-by-step process.
Memory tip
Think of small, manageable steps added one at a time, like climbing a staircase.