as in gradual
proceeding or changing by steps or degrees
a piecemeal attempt to remedy the traffic congestion
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in gradually
by small steps or amounts
remodeled their house piecemeal because of budgetary constraints
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of piecemeal
Brett Simpson, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
The department has taken a piecemeal approach to releasing the files, which are expected to contain hundreds of thousands of pages.
—Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 23 Dec. 2025
Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
The ride was lifted piecemeal by crane up to the fourth floor.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piecemeal
Adjective
In an article published this month in the journal The Yearbook of Polar Law, Tsiouvalas and his co-authors, Mana Tugend and Romain Chuffart, argue that piecemeal updates to current laws simply will never keep up with this fast-changing and threatened environment.
—Brett Simpson, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
The department has taken a piecemeal approach to releasing the files, which are expected to contain hundreds of thousands of pages.
—Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 23 Dec. 2025
Adverb
Personal details emerge piecemeal, in no particular order, always in connection with the music with which they are entangled.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
The ride was lifted piecemeal by crane up to the fourth floor.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piecemeal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piecemeal
Adjective
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This time around, her wavy lob is cut at a soft, gradual angle, so that the front dips only slightly longer than the back.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Through food rewards and gradual trust-building, the birds learn to travel in a crate and to sit on a perch and a glove during a program.—
Beth Lipoff,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Probably start by using softer AI personas and gradually inch your way to the later instances that fully test a therapist’s abilities.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Place baba back into pan and gradually pour remaining syrup over.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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The resulting internal strain caused the layers to peel apart and curl into tight scrolls.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Jan. 2026
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The film stars Claire Foy as Helen, an academic whose life falls apart when her photographer father (Brendan Gleeson) dies.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Piecemeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piecemeal. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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