gradual
adjective
[ ˈɡradʒʊəl ]
• taking place or progressing slowly or by degrees.
• "the gradual introduction of new methods"
Similar:
slow,
moderate,
measured,
unhurried,
restrained,
cautious,
circumspect,
unspectacular,
piecemeal,
step by step,
little by little,
bit by bit,
progressive,
successive,
continuous,
systematic,
regular,
steady,
even,
consistent,
uniform,
softly-softly,
• (of a slope) not steep or abrupt.
gradual
noun
• (in the Western Christian Church) a response sung or recited between the Epistle and Gospel in the Mass.
Origin:
late Middle English: from medieval Latin gradualis, from Latin gradus ‘step’. The original sense of the adjective was ‘arranged in degrees’; the noun refers to the altar steps in a church, from which the antiphons were sung.
