incremental
gb/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl/ us/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl/
B2
English
~ 8500
fokozatos, lépésenkénti, többlet-, inkrementális, növekményes
B2
1
fokozatos
B1
lépésenkénti
B1
Usage pattern:
incremental [change/progress/improvement/steps]
The company prefers incremental change instead of large, risky transformations.
A vállalat a nagy, kockázatos átalakítások helyett a fokozatos változást részesíti előnyben.
Learning a language is an incremental process that takes time and regular practice.
A nyelvtanulás fokozatos folyamat, amely időt és rendszeres gyakorlást igényel.
The new policy brings only incremental improvements to workers' rights.
We made incremental adjustments to the design based on user feedback.
Government reforms have been incremental rather than sweeping.
Learner examples
Your fitness will improve in small, incremental steps.
Az erőnléted apró lépésekkel, fokozatosan fog javulni.
We saw incremental progress each week on the project.
Hétről hétre fokozatos haladást tapasztaltunk a projekten.
The school plans to make incremental changes to the rules.
Her salary increased in small, incremental amounts.
The doctor recommended incremental changes to his diet.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "incremental" with "incidental". "Incremental" is about small steps of change or growth; "incidental" means something happens by chance or as a minor part of something else. Learners may also overuse "incremental" where simple "small" or "slow" sounds more natural in everyday speech.
Meaning
happening in small steps
Collocations
incremental change
|incremental improvement
|incremental progress
|incremental steps
|incremental approach
|incremental reforms
Synonyms
gradual (Very common and general word for slow, step-by-step change; slightly less technical-sounding than "incremental".)
|
step-by-step (More informal and often used for instructions or processes; emphasizes clear, separate stages.)
Antonyms
sudden (Describes change that happens quickly and all at once, not in small steps.)
|
radical (Describes very big or complete change, rather than small, cautious steps.)
Themes
business
|science
|politics
|education
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Changing or growing slowly, in many small steps instead of in one big change.
Happening, changing, or developing in a series of small steps rather than all at once.
C1
TECHNICAL
2
többlet-
B2
Usage pattern:
incremental [cost/revenue/profit/benefit/sales]
The incremental cost of producing one more unit is relatively low.
Egy újabb egység előállításának többletköltsége viszonylag alacsony.
Marketing generated an incremental revenue of $2 million last quarter.
A marketing a múlt negyedévben 2 millió dollár többletbevételt hozott.
We need to compare the incremental benefits with the incremental costs before investing.
The tax reform will create incremental tax income for the government.
They focused on measuring the incremental sales from the new advertising campaign.
Learner examples
The manager asked about the incremental cost of hiring one more worker.
A vezető rákérdezett egy újabb dolgozó felvételének többletköltségére.
This project brings an incremental profit to the company.
Ez a projekt többletnyereséget hoz a vállalatnak.
We must check if the incremental benefit is worth the extra money.
The new product created strong incremental sales in Asia.
There is an incremental tax when your income goes over this level.
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "incremental cost" with "total cost". "Incremental cost" is only the extra cost from doing something more, not the whole amount. Another mistake is to say "incremental money" in casual speech; in everyday English people usually say "extra money" or "additional money" unless they are doing a business or economic analysis.
Meaning
additional amount on top of base
Collocations
incremental cost
|incremental revenue
|incremental profit
|incremental sales
|incremental tax
|incremental benefit
Synonyms
additional (General word for extra; less tied to financial or analytical contexts than "incremental".)
|
marginal (Technical term in economics similar to "incremental"; often used for small extra cost or benefit of one more unit.)
Antonyms
total (Refers to the whole amount, not just the extra part added on top.)
|
fixed (Describes a cost or amount that does not change when more units are added, opposite of an extra, changing amount.)
Themes
business
|economics
|finance
Definition
Describes extra money, cost, sales, or another amount that is added on top of what you already have.
Describing an extra amount that is added to an existing total, especially when analyzing costs, profits, or other measurable quantities.
C1
TECHNICAL
3
növekményes
C1
Usage pattern:
incremental [backup/update/build/process]
An incremental backup only saves files that have changed since the last backup.
A növekményes biztonsági mentés csak azokat a fájlokat menti el, amelyek a legutóbbi mentés óta megváltoztak.
The software uses incremental updates to reduce download size.
A szoftver növekményes frissítéseket használ, hogy csökkentse a letöltés méretét.
Our build system supports incremental compilation for faster development.
Incremental sync avoids re-uploading files that haven’t changed.
The tool performs an incremental scan after the initial full scan.
Learner examples
This program can do an incremental backup every night.
Ez a program minden éjjel tud növekményes biztonsági mentést készíteni.
You only need an incremental update, not a full one.
Csak növekményes frissítésre van szükséged, nem teljesre.
Incremental builds save time for the developers.
The app uses incremental sync to copy only new files.
After a full scan, the antivirus runs incremental scans each day.
Common mistake:
Learners may think an "incremental backup" means a small backup in size, but it specifically means it includes only the data that changed since the last backup. They may also confuse it with "partial backup", which does not always imply tracking changes over time.
Meaning
processing only new changes
Collocations
incremental backup
|incremental update
|incremental build
|incremental compilation
|incremental sync
Synonyms
partial (General word for not complete; in computing, may also mean working on only a part, but "incremental" specifically focuses on new changes since last time.)
Antonyms
full (As in a full backup or full rebuild, which processes all data, not just the new changes.)
Themes
technology
|computing
Definition
Used in computing to describe a process that works only on new changes since the last time, not on all data again.
In computing and related technical fields, based on handling only the changes made since the previous operation, rather than processing all data from the beginning.
Grammar
Dictionary form
incremental
IPA
GB/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl/
US/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl/
Syllables & stress
in - cre - ment - al (4 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (ment)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: incremental
Word family
Expressions
incremental approach
1/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl əpɹˈoʊt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
method using many small steps
A way of doing something that uses many small steps, not one big move.
Examples
- They adopted an incremental approach to introducing the new technology.
- An incremental approach can reduce the risk of project failure.
incremental backup
1/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl bˈækˌʌp/
fixed phrase
technical
backup storing only new changes
A computer backup that saves only files that have changed since the last backup.
Examples
- You should schedule a full backup once a week and incremental backups every day.
- Incremental backups save time and storage space.
incremental change
1/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl t͡ʃˈeɪnd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
change in many small steps
Change that happens slowly, in many small steps, not in one big action.
Examples
- The government prefers incremental change to avoid social unrest.
- In many organizations, real progress comes through incremental change.
incremental cost
1/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl kˈɔst/
fixed phrase
technical
extra cost from one more unit
The extra cost that comes from doing or making one more thing.
Examples
- We must calculate the incremental cost of adding another production line.
- If the incremental cost is low, expanding output may be profitable.
incremental improvement
1/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl ɪmpɹˈuvmənt/
fixed phrase
small, step-by-step improvement
A small improvement that is part of a slow, step-by-step process.
Examples
- The team focuses on incremental improvement rather than dramatic innovation.
- We saw incremental improvement in test scores after the new teaching method.
incremental revenue
1/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl ɹˈɛvənjˌu/
fixed phrase
technical
extra money earned on top
The extra money a company earns in addition to what it already earns.
Examples
- The campaign generated significant incremental revenue in the holiday season.
- We need to know the incremental revenue before increasing the budget.