gradually
part of speech
adverb (gradually)
meaning for a pupil
Gradually means slowly, a little at a time, over a period, not all at once or suddenly. tree →
sense in the lessons
Interpretation: Sefer Yetzirah is read as teaching that the world came from God by stages and not all at once. This stepwise coming forth is called emanation. In the primary lessons: In science it describes slow changes: ice gradually melts, a plant gradually grows, the sky gradually gets dark, water gradually evaporates. In maths a line that rises gradually has a gentle slope; a number that gradually increases goes up in small steps. In stories it shows change over time: «gradually she began to feel better». Opposite: suddenly. Phrases: gradually increase, gradually improve, gradually get used to.
examples
- Our author is therefore endeavoring to show that the whole universe emanated gradually from the spirit of the one living God. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
- It teaches that a first cause, eternal, all-wise, almighty and holy, is the origin and the centre of the whole universe, from whom gradually all beings emanated. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
- The ice cube gradually melted in the sun. tree →
- My reading gradually got better with practice. tree →
- The sky gradually turned from orange to dark blue. tree →
- Add the flour gradually and keep stirring. tree →
- The temperature gradually dropped during the night. tree →
- The path rose gradually up the hill. tree →
- Gradually, the new boy made friends in the class. tree →
- It wound itself round the stem and gradually got higher and higher. tree →
note
Adverb from the adjective «gradual» (a gradual change). Opposite: «suddenly», «abruptly». Spelled with «-ually»: gradu-al-ly. In maths problems «gradually» means small steady changes, not a jump.
In the corpora
- A cool-down of slow movement after exercise helps the body calm down gradually.
- Breathing faster during exercise is normal, because the muscles need more oxygen, and fitness builds up gradually.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «gradually» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.