— progressively , adv. — progressiveness, progressivity /proh'gre siv"i tee/ , n.
/preuh gres"iv/ , adj.
1. favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, esp. in political matters: a progressive mayor.
2. making progress toward better conditions; employing or advocating more enlightened or liberal ideas, new or experimental methods, etc.: a progressive community.
3. characterized by such progress, or by continuous improvement.
4. ( cap. ) of or pertaining to any of the Progressive parties in politics.
5. going forward or onward; passing successively from one member of a series to the next; proceeding step by step.
6. noting or pertaining to a form of taxation in which the rate increases with certain increases in taxable income.
7. of or pertaining to progressive education: progressive schools.
8. Gram. noting a verb aspect or other verb category that indicates action or state going on at a temporal point of reference.
9. Med. continuously increasing in extent or severity, as a disease.
n.
10. a person who is progressive or who favors progress or reform, esp. in political matters.
11. ( cap. ) a member of a Progressive party.
12. Gram.
a. the progressive aspect.
b. a verb form or construction in the progressive, as are thinking in They are thinking about it.
[ 1600-10; PROGRESS + -IVE ]
Syn. 1, 9. liberal. 5. successive.