incremental
gb/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl/ us/ˌɪŋkɹəmˈɛntəl/
B2
English
~ 8500
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
happening in small steps
Changing or growing slowly, in many small steps instead of in one big change.
Usage pattern:
incremental [change/progress/improvement/steps]
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.
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.)
Collocations
incremental change
|incremental improvement
|incremental progress
|incremental steps
|incremental approach
|incremental reforms
Themes
business
|science
|politics
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The company prefers incremental change instead of large, risky transformations.
- Learning a language is an incremental process that takes time and regular practice.
- 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.
- We saw incremental progress each week on the project.
- 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.
adjective
technical
C1
property
2
additional amount on top of base
Describes extra money, cost, sales, or another amount that is added on top of what you already have.
Usage pattern:
incremental [cost/revenue/profit/benefit/sales]
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.
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.)
Collocations
incremental cost
|incremental revenue
|incremental profit
|incremental sales
|incremental tax
|incremental benefit
Themes
business
|economics
|finance
Examples
- The incremental cost of producing one more unit is relatively low.
- Marketing generated an incremental revenue of $2 million last quarter.
- 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.
- This project brings an incremental profit to the company.
- 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.
adjective
technical
C1
property
3
processing only new changes
Used in computing to describe a process that works only on new changes since the last time, not on all data again.
Usage pattern:
incremental [backup/update/build/process]
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.
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.)
Collocations
incremental backup
|incremental update
|incremental build
|incremental compilation
|incremental sync
Themes
technology
|computing
Examples
- An incremental backup only saves files that have changed since the last backup.
- The software uses incremental updates to reduce download size.
- 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.
- You only need an incremental update, not a full one.
- 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.
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.