gradual

«gradual» in Mova's school dictionary: Happening slowly and little by little over time, not… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (gradual, more gradual)

meaning for a pupil

1) Happening slowly and little by little over time, not suddenly. tree →

2) Of a slope: rising or falling gently, not steeply. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science it describes slow changes: «a gradual change in temperature», erosion, growth. In maths it describes gentle slopes and steady increases. In everyday life it describes slow improvement. Phrases: gradual change, gradual increase, a gradual slope, gradual improvement.

examples

• There was a gradual change in the colour of the leaves. tree →
• The path has a gradual slope, so it is easy to walk up. tree →
• Her reading showed gradual improvement over the term. tree →
• The river caused gradual erosion of the bank. tree →
• The gradual rise in temperature melted the snow. tree →
• Learning to swim is a gradual process. tree →

note

Adverb: gradually. Opposite: sudden, abrupt, steep. Related: gradient (how steep a slope is), grade.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «gradual» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.