as in gradual
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Recent Examples of stepwise
Their population has risen from 76 to 108, while the Central chimps’ population has seen a stepwise decline.
—
Evan Bush, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
Something else Krasley observed was that the factories didn’t embark on one gigantic, expensive retrofit, but rather took a stepwise approach to accumulating cooling improvements that was easier on their bottom lines.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
Certain fungi use enzymes to break down complex organic matter through stepwise reactions.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Feb. 2026
This stepwise approach will give you a reliable, privacy-compliant framework for budget allocation that evolves as your business and the market do.
—Bernard May, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The percentage of uninsured respondents in the 30-49 age cohort, which was the first group targeted in a stepwise introduction of the requirement, rose to 14.5% in 2018 from 10.5% in 2016.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
Evan Bush, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
Something else Krasley observed was that the factories didn’t embark on one gigantic, expensive retrofit, but rather took a stepwise approach to accumulating cooling improvements that was easier on their bottom lines.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
Certain fungi use enzymes to break down complex organic matter through stepwise reactions.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Feb. 2026
This stepwise approach will give you a reliable, privacy-compliant framework for budget allocation that evolves as your business and the market do.
—Bernard May, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The percentage of uninsured respondents in the 30-49 age cohort, which was the first group targeted in a stepwise introduction of the requirement, rose to 14.5% in 2018 from 10.5% in 2016.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepwise
Adjective
-
There was not a gradual build to this moment, allowing Rai to adjust over time to a changing reality.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
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The study authors argue that humans became strongly right-handed through a gradual evolutionary process tied to bipedalism and brain expansion rather than a single genetic switch.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Adjective
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The agreement, which was pushed on the Israeli government by the United States, involved a step-by-step process that would eventually lead to the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
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Below, check out the differences between the VPNs, along with step-by-step instructons on how to use them to watch The Traitors India in the US.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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Meeting the continent’s growing demand for data center capacity could require as much as $20 billion in cumulative investment — and that’s before AI began accelerating the timeline.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
18 May 2026
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New data from Counterpoint Research shows the Galaxy S26 series recorded 15% higher cumulative sales in its first six weeks after launch compared with the Galaxy S25 at the same point last year.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stepwise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepwise. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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