How to Use gradual in a Sentence

gradual

adjective
Definition of gradualnext
Synonyms for gradualnext
  • The hospital has made gradual improvements in health care.
  • We noticed a gradual change in temperature.
  • But it's been a gradual build-up for our whole team and for him to this point.
    — Joe Morgan, Fox News, 23 Sep. 2023
  • The transition process will be gradual and will take up to one year, the firm added.
    — Byben Weiss, Fortune Crypto, 27 Sep. 2023
  • The route then begins a gradual, half-mile descent to the course of Banning Creek.
    — Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 12 May 2023
  • Still, the report points to a more gradual descent in inflation in the months ahead.
    — Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2023
  • Falling in love with my ex—I’ll call him C—was not gradual.
    — Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024
  • As noted above, the gradual squeeze of MA payment rates has not, to date, led to a drop in MA enrollment.
    — Avik Roy, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
  • Some writers want to go as far as strike right away, while others want to lay the groundwork for more gradual change.
    — Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2023
  • Had there been a gradual leak, the mission would have been quickly aborted.
    — Joel Achenbach, BostonGlobe.com, 22 June 2023
  • The decline has been small and gradual but steady, with fewer licensed sellers each year along the way.
    — Ike Morgan | Imorgan@al.com, al, 13 July 2023
  • The research shows that even gradual changes can improve heart health and slow down aging, Makarem said.
    — Linda Carroll, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2023
  • It’s been a gradual slide, starting in the mid-2000s, around the time the Iraq War was going south both in public opinion and actual events on the ground.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 29 Nov. 2023
  • Will this strategy achieve that gradual cool-off the Fed is going for?
    — Aly J. Yale, wsj.com, 2 Nov. 2023
  • Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 24.
    — The Courier-Journal, 15 Feb. 2024
  • And the Palestinians’ pain has been compounded ever since by the gradual erosion of their dream of a state.
    — Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024
  • The mound’s slope is gradual and grassy, its summit shadowed by mature live oaks.
    — Kiley Bense, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
  • The transition from the outer part of the inner core to the innermost sphere appears to be gradual rather than a sharp boundary, Pham said.
    — Reuters, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2023
  • Prepare for limited shade and a long but gradual climb with a few steep stretches.
    — Jenna Scatena, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2023
  • The flare is subtle, while the widening is gradual and discrete, creating just enough room for, well, boots.
    — Ashley W. Simpson, Robb Report, 8 Feb. 2024
  • Amid the gradual downshift from full-scale war in some parts of Gaza, the fate of the enclave and its 2.1 million inhabitants remains far from clear.
    — Claire Parker, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2024
  • But the pay-off for going cold turkey–a gradual reduction in breakage over time–is still worth the effort.
    — Hasina Jeelani, Vogue, 19 Jan. 2024
  • Cloudy early, then gradual clearing, with a high near 37.
    — Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 24 Feb. 2024
  • Become a Subscriber This time, the change was gradual, but no less dramatic.
    — Kate Wheeling, The Atlantic, 29 Nov. 2023
  • More gradual changes in the signal might betray the development of faults in track alignment.
    — Matt Simon, WIRED, 31 Jan. 2024
  • And for that matter, is the boundary between mantle and crust a sharp boundary, or more of a gradual transition?
    — Carolyn Y. Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 6 June 2023
  • Since the fall Russia has been pushing to regain the initiative on the battlefield and has made gradual gains in eastern areas of the front lines.
    — Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2024
  • What helps sustain this gradual buildup of tension is Zhang’s willingness to linger on images of food.
    — Mayukh Sen, The New Republic, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Cons The effects are gradual and very subtle — this doesn’t dramatically sculpt or smooth fine lines in the short term.
    — Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024
  • The book tells the story of Carrère’s descent into a breakdown and his gradual recovery.
    — Adam Thirlwell, The New York Review of Books, 29 June 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gradual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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