gradual
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
Happening slowly, a little at a time.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
grajoouhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɡɹædʒuəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
ChristianityRoman Catholic Church
An antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass
christianity
An antiphon or responsory after the epistle, in the Mass, which was sung on the steps, or while the deacon ascended the steps.
christianity
A service book containing the musical portions of the Mass.
adjective
Proceeding in small stages
Proceeding or advancing by small, slow, regular steps or degrees
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (Roman Catholic Church) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass
Used this way, gradual is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a religious use: it carries the weight of tradition and ceremony.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Religion/spirituality
- Historical writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use gradual
- “A gradual increase in prices.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
The successful completion of a program of study.
In a gradual manner.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.