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 Luckily, Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of this novel about warring space clans and the interstellar drug trade manages to streamline things a bit (while still clocking in at a cumulative 320-plus minutes). Lucas Trevor, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 Beyond consideration of the cumulative weight of more than one local tax measure on the ballot, there’s plenty for advocates and critics to argue over. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 On the latest Billboard 200 chart (dated March 2), Swift has three albums in the top 10, which ups her cumulative total of weeks in the top 10 to 384 — across all her 16-top 10-charting albums combined. Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 26 Feb. 2024 Oscar winner Jennifer Lee (book), Tony and Olivier Award winner Michael Grandage (director), and Tony winner Rob Ashford (choreographer) round out the creative team that has won a cumulative 16 Tony Awards. Kathryn Gregory, The Courier-Journal, 31 Jan. 2024 This term, not yet widely recognized, describes the cumulative experience of being disregarded, unprotected, undervalued or dehumanized by an employer. Steve Salee, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The cumulative result has been Trump unleashed, and a sea change in Republican foreign policy. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024 And yet, over the course of 2020, Quebec, which took notably stringent measures, ended up with roughly the same cumulative mortality rate as Florida, Georgia, or Michigan. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 The Knights outscored their three playoff foes by a cumulative score of 48-8. Open Division, fifth-place game Clairemont 7, Helix 5: Kylie Sagastume scored three goals to spearhead Clairemont, which secured a berth in the Southern California Regional playoffs. Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2024

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

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 19 Mar. 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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