gradual

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Recessions are generally characterized, in the first instance, by the substitution of a sudden, sharp, upward movement in the unemployment rate for a gradual downward or sideways movement.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

And dealing with a rapid gasoline-price increase is a lot harder than dealing with a gradual one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Itauma's team now faces a choice: continue the gradual build, letting rounds come naturally against carefully selected opponents, or push him into deeper waters against fighters capable of testing him more fully.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

The terms could allow limited access before 25 for things like education, emergencies or housing, and could also provide for gradual distributions rather than a lump sum.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Uniformitarians by contrast believed that changes on Earth were gradual and that nearly all Earth processes happened slowly, over immense spans of time.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson