1
Core quality
Formed, increased, or measured through successive additions over time.
Example
The cumulative effect of small delays was substantial.
cumulative
/ˈkjuːmjʊlətɪv/ · KYOO-myuh-luh-tivadjective
Formed, increased, or measured through successive additions over time.
Use cumulative to express this relationship precisely: formed, increased, or measured through successive additions over time.
What cumulative Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
Each study added to the cumulative evidence for the theory.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
The graph shows cumulative rainfall since January.
Use cumulative Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The cumulative effect of small delays was substantial.
Each study added to the cumulative evidence for the theory.
The graph shows cumulative rainfall since January.
Precision Matters
Cumulative overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
cumulative
vs.Means formed, increased, or measured through successive additions over time.
consolidated
Means combined into a single, more coherent, stable, or effective whole.
cumulative
vs.Means formed, increased, or measured through successive additions over time.
subsequent
Means coming after something else in time or order.
cumulative
vs.Means formed, increased, or measured through successive additions over time.
augment
Means to increase something in size, amount, strength, or value.
cumulative
vs.Means formed, increased, or measured through successive additions over time.
diminish
Means become or make something smaller, weaker, less important, or less intense.
Test cumulative in Context
The effect built progressively through repeated additions over time.
1
No single exposure caused the damage; it resulted from the ___ effect of many small exposures over several years.