increasing
Americanadjective
-
growing larger or greater; enlarging; augmenting.
-
Mathematics. (of a function) having the property that for any two points in the domain such that one is larger than the other, the image of the larger point is greater than or equal to the image of the smaller point; nondecreasing.
Usage
What does increasing mean? Increasing is an adjective that means growing or rising—becoming greater or more in number, amount, size, or in some other way.It comes from the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb increase, which means to become greater or more in number, amount, size, or in some other way, as in Our profits will increase as demand increases.The word increased can also be used as an adjective to describe things that have risen or grown, as in an increased appetite.Example: The increasing value of the dollar.
Other Word Forms
- increasingly adverb
- unincreasing adjective
Etymology
Origin of increasing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
California’s wolves are steadily increasing, a stunning turn of fortune for the apex predators who were wiped out by hunters and trappers about a century ago.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
Consumer debt levels are low, while corporate debt is at a healthy level, but government debt is only increasing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Simply increasing circuit depth is unlikely to deliver better results for many common tasks, especially those based on local measurements.
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
Businesses across Northern Ireland are calling for cuts to taxes in the hospitality sector, warning that rising costs and higher VAT rates are putting increasing pressure on already tight margins.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
It may even be that those factors play a very subtle and complex role in increasing the odds of something happening to him in the next seventy-two hours.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.