inchmeal

Little by little

Inchmeal means by inches, a little at a time, gradually: The glacier advanced inchmeal over centuries.

The word is archaic and literary, formed on the same pattern as piecemeal.

Where piecemeal suggests discrete portions, inchmeal emphasizes slow, measured progress across small distances.

gradual

bit-by-bit

In gradual increments

gradational · successive · sequential · slow · measured · unhurried · creeping · crawling · imperceptible · fractional

meticulous

painstaking

Extremely careful and thorough

precise · exacting · scrupulous · systematic · deliberate · fastidious · rigorous · detailed · exact · minute

patient

persevering

Maintaining effort despite difficulty

enduring · dogged · plodding · forbearing · unhurried · unrushed · stoic · composed · resolute · determined

Opposites
rate of change/progression

inchmealsuddenly

Without prior indication

abruptly · instantly · all at once · immediately · precipitously

manner of completion

inchmealwholesale

Bulk sales to merchants

entirely · completely · in toto · altogether · en masse

Family

inch, inches, inched, inching, piecemeal, incremental, incrementally, increments, incremented

Familiarity
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Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G