cumulative
adjective
cu·mu·la·tive
ˈkyü-myə-lə-tiv 
-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 Essays, 1841
a cumulative weight gain of 20 pounds over the course of a year
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 Essays, 1841
a cumulative weight gain of 20 pounds over the course of a year
Recent Examples on the Web
The cumulative rise of roughly 260 fatal overdoses was clustered mostly in Nevada.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 10 Mar. 2025
And cumulative dose – for example, taking without consistent use – didn't appear to be beneficial, either.
—New Atlas, 9 Mar. 2025
The crisscrossing of components across the Canadian and Mexican borders could mean cumulative tariff bills pile up quickly.
—The Editors, National Review, 7 Mar. 2025
The last 20 years have seen an increase in MHW (marine heat wave) frequency as well as MHW days per year and yearly cumulative intensity.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cumulative
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Brian Mann, NPR, 10 Mar. 2025
And cumulative dose – for example, taking without consistent use – didn't appear to be beneficial, either.
—New Atlas, 9 Mar. 2025
The crisscrossing of components across the Canadian and Mexican borders could mean cumulative tariff bills pile up quickly.
—The Editors, National Review, 7 Mar. 2025
The last 20 years have seen an increase in MHW (marine heat wave) frequency as well as MHW days per year and yearly cumulative intensity.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cumulative
Cite this Entry
“Cumulative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cumulative. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cumulative
adjective
cu·mu·la·tive
ˈkyü-myə-lət-iv
-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-
: increasing in effect by successive doses (as of a drug or poison)
cumulative poisoning by organochlorine pesticides—Jack Clincy
Jack Clincy
cumulatively
adverb
Legal Definition
cumulative
adjective
cu·mu·la·tive
ˈkyü-myə-lə-tiv, -ˌlā-
1
: increasing by successive additions
2
: tending to prove the same point
cumulative testimony
3
: following in time
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