adverb · neutral
gradually
/ˈɡrædʒuəli/GRAD·u·al·ly
task1
slowly and over a period of time; by small degrees
Examples
“The unemployment rate decreased gradually over five years.”
“Traffic congestion eased gradually after the new road opened.”
“Prices rose gradually rather than spiking suddenly.”
Band 8 sentence
“Over the decade, household energy consumption decreased gradually, reflecting a steady shift toward more efficient appliances.”
Collocations
- increase/decrease gradually
- change gradually
Word family
gradual adjectivegradually adverb
Common mistakes
gradually decreased by 5% to 30%→gradually decreased from 35% to 30% / decreased gradually by 5%
more gradually than ever→more gradually than before
Say it for a higher band
5slowly→6steadily→7+gradually
Synonyms
slowly
steadily
Easily confused
slightly
“The temperature fell slightly overnight.”
Related words
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In Overall trends
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