What does "increment" mean?
The action of increasing or becoming greater.
Increment
/ˈɪŋkɹɪmn̩t/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The action of increasing or becoming greater.
- Grammar: increment is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: growth, increase, access, accession.
- Useful contrasts: abatement, decimation, decline.
- Usage evidence: Every time you go through the cycle, you increment the counter by one.
How to use "increment"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "increment" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "increment" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "increment" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "increment" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "increment" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "growth" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "increment", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The action of increasing or becoming greater.
"the seminary that furnisheth matter for the formation and increment of animal and vegetable bodies"
- 2 the amount by which something increases wordnet
- 3 The amount of increase.
"In the third place, the superelevation and alignment of the track, theoretically calculated for speeds of 70 to 75 m.p.h., was adequate for the 80 to 85 m.p.h. or so normally attained as maxima over the G.N. main line; but nothing whatever had been done to prepare it for the enormous increment over these figures that this run was to produce."
- 4 a process of becoming larger or longer or more numerous or more important wordnet
- 5 An amplification without strict climax, as in the following passage: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, […] think on these things." rhetoric
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 The amount of time added to a player's clock after each move.
- 7 A syllable in excess of the number of the nominative singular or the second-person singular present indicative.
Verb
- 1 To increase by steps or by a step, especially by one. intransitive, transitive
"... any given value just before observing, the actual pressures must as frequently be incremented as decremented, both in the "on" and the "off" series."
Antonyms
Example
"Every time you go through the cycle, you increment the counter by one."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "increment"?
Common synonyms include: growth, increase, access, accession, accessory, accompaniment.
How do you use "increment" in a sentence?
Every time you go through the cycle, you increment the counter by one.
How do you pronounce "increment"?
Pronounced /ˈɪŋkɹɪmn̩t/.
Etymology
From Middle English encrement, increment, from Latin incrēmentum, from incrēscō (whence increase), from in- + crēscō (“grow”). Equivalent to increase + -ment.