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GRADUAL
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(Roman Catholic Church) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("gradual" is a kind of...):
antiphon; antiphony (a verse or song to be chanted or sung in response)
Domain category:
Church of Rome; Roman Catholic; Roman Catholic Church; Roman Church; Western Church (the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Proceeding in small stages
Example:
a gradual increase in prices
Classified under:
Similar:
bit-by-bit; in small stages; piecemeal; step-by-step; stepwise (one thing at a time)
gradational; gradatory; graduated (taking place by degrees)
Also:
slow (not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time)
Antonym:
sudden (happening without warning or in a short space of time)
Derivation:
graduality; gradualness (the quality of being gradual or of coming about by gradual stages)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(of a topographical gradient) not steep or abrupt
Example:
a gradual slope
Classified under:
Similar:
easy; gentle (marked by moderate steepness)
sloping (having a slanting form or direction)
Also:
inclined (at an angle to the horizontal or vertical position)
Antonym:
steep (having a sharp inclination)
Derivation:
grade (the gradient of a slope or road or other surface)
gradualness (the property possessed by a slope that is very gradual)
Context examples:
A syndrome that is defined by signs and symptoms related to abrupt or gradual stoppage of opioids use.
(Opiate Withdrawal Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)
The whole knack lies in pointing your chin to the sky, and then arranging your folds by the gradual descent of your lower jaw.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
It is more often due to a gradual decline of lactase production in adulthood following the ingestion of fewer lactose-containing foods or secondary to an intestinal mucosal brush-border injury.
(Lactose Intolerance, NCI Thesaurus)
A disorder of the central nervous system characterized by gradual and progressive loss of neural tissue and neurologic function.
(Central Nervous System Degenerative Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)
But the slope grew more gradual, and its base was grass-covered.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
We all must die one day, and the illness which is removing me is not painful; it is gentle and gradual: my mind is at rest.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
This likely cryovolcano, a volcano formed bythe gradual accumulation of thick, slowly flowing icy materials, has prominent bright streaks on its flanks.
(Bright Areas on Ceres Suggest Geologic Activity, NASA)
This agent is resistant to cytidine deaminase, hence may result in gradual release of decitabine both extra and intracellularly, leading to more prolonged exposures to decitabine.
(DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitor SGI-110, NCI Thesaurus)
A gradual decrease in the fetal heart rate and return to baseline that is associated with a uterine contraction.
(Early Fetal Heart Rate Deceleration, NCI Thesaurus)
Lifestyle changes, coping techniques, and a special, gradual exercise program can also help.
(Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
