cumulative

adjective

cu·​mu·​la·​tive ˈkyü-myə-lə-tiv How to pronounce cumulative (audio)
-ˌlā-
1
a
: increasing by successive additions
b
: made up of accumulated parts
2
: tending to prove the same point
cumulative evidence
3
a
: taking effect upon completion of another penal sentence
a cumulative sentence
b
: increasing in severity with repetition of the offense
cumulative penalty
4
: formed by the addition of new material of the same kind
a cumulative book index
5
: summing or integrating overall data or values of a random variable less than or less than or equal to a specified value
cumulative normal distribution
cumulative frequency distribution
6
finance
a
: to be added if not paid when normally due to the next payment or a future payment
cumulative preferred dividends
cumulative interest
b
of stock : bearing such a dividend
cumulative preferred stock
cumulatively adverb
cumulativeness noun

Examples of cumulative in a Sentence

… Game Boy, which first came out in 1989 as a monochrome handheld toy, has become the most successful of all of the systems, reaching cumulative sales of 110 million units to date … N'gai Croal, Newsweek, 28 May 2001
They began looking at the cumulative effect of stress and realized that, while there might have been an incident that finally triggered the madness, a series of previous events had lowered the soldier's emotional resistance. Michael Fleming and Roger Manvell, Psychology Today, July 1987
Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another, you have only an extemporaneous, half possession. Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance," in Essays1841
a cumulative weight gain of 20 pounds over the course of a year
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
That is more than 50% lower than its debut weekend, but still lifts the film to a $70.8 million cumulative after 12 days on release. Patrick Frater, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024 Given these trends, a key question that could tilt the balance in Pennsylvania, as well as in other battleground states, is whether local voters focus on the cumulative rise in prices since 2020 or instead take cheer from how inflation has cooled over the last year, Yaros said. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 30 Oct. 2024 That’s because the ROI on point solutions isn’t cumulative. Tate Olinghouse, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Over time, cumulative increases in fast-food prices eroded the relative value of dining out. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cumulative 

Word History

Etymology

see cumulate

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of cumulative was in 1605

Dictionary Entries Near cumulative

Cite this Entry

“Cumulative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cumulative. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cumulative

adjective
cu·​mu·​la·​tive ˈkyü-myə-lət-iv How to pronounce cumulative (audio)
-ˌlāt-
: increasing (as in force, strength, or amount) by additions one after another
cumulative effects
cumulatively adverb
cumulativeness noun

Medical Definition

cumulative

adjective
cu·​mu·​la·​tive ˈkyü-myə-lət-iv, -ˌlāt- How to pronounce cumulative (audio)
: increasing in effect by successive doses (as of a drug or poison)
cumulative poisoning by organochlorine pesticidesJack Clincy
cumulatively adverb

Legal Definition

cumulative

adjective
cu·​mu·​la·​tive ˈkyü-myə-lə-tiv, -ˌlā- How to pronounce cumulative (audio)
1
: increasing by successive additions
2
: tending to prove the same point
cumulative testimony
3
: following in time

More from Merriam-Webster on cumulative

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