decrease incrementally

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "decrease incrementally" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing a gradual reduction in quantity, size, or intensity over a series of steps or stages. Example: "To improve efficiency, we need to decrease incrementally the amount of energy consumed by our machines."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Mechanisms exist that would allow the Constant to decrease incrementally through time.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

The other parameter used, delta, determines the amount by which is increased incrementally when the queue overflows or is decreased incrementally when the link is idle.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

After removing the hematoma with a median sternotomy, central venous pressure decreased from 17to1212 mmHg, and the VA-ECMO flow rate decreased incrementally to evaluate cardiac function; pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) drastically increased to 55/35 mmHg.

JA Clinical Reports

The loss of key amino acids and backbone hydrogen bonds decreased incrementally with temperature other than optimum (338 K) in all simulations, probing structural changes associated with enthalpy-entropy compensation.

Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology

Sadly, the World Health Organization and CDC believe cholera will now be a recurrent disease in Haiti, appearing annually with the rains, spiking, and decreasing incrementally each year as the populace develops natural immunities.

Huffington Post

This decreases incrementally toward the more conserved positions of the OV-sorted alignment.

Genome Biology and Evolution

Biological gradient : When rate of progression increases (or decreases) incrementally as dose of exposure increases; provides strong evidence of causal relationship.

BMJ Open

As the detection process continues and threshold decreases incrementally, the smaller ROIs from prior iterations which are fully contained in larger ROIs from the current iteration are discarded, and the new larger ROIs are retained.

eLife

The threshold is decreased incrementally over a number of partitions determined by the quotient of 4096 values of fluorescence intensity (for a 12-bit image) divided by the user-defined increment (above).

eLife

First, cutoffs such as 1500 g and 2500 g are arbitrary and introduce an artificial discreteness to a naturally continuous phenomenon: presumably fetal-infant mortality risk decreases only incrementally as one moves from, for example, 2499 g to 2501 g.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

In contrast, the current draft says, "The heights and proportions of the towers are based on the distribution of program coupled with the desire for the towers to incrementally decrease in size from northeast clockwise to southeast".

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "decrease incrementally" when you want to emphasize a gradual reduction process rather than an abrupt change. This highlights the step-by-step nature of the decrease.

Common error

Avoid using "decrease incrementally" in informal contexts where simpler phrases like "decrease gradually" or "slowly reduce" would be more appropriate. Overly formal language can sound unnatural or pretentious in everyday conversation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "decrease incrementally" functions as an adverbial modifier, describing how an action is performed. It indicates that a reduction happens in small, measurable steps, as supported by examples found by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

58%

News & Media

33%

Wiki

4%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

1%

Formal & Business

1%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "decrease incrementally" describes a gradual reduction in small steps. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and applicability across various domains. While phrases like "gradually reduce" or "slowly decline" offer similar meanings, "decrease incrementally" emphasizes the measured, step-by-step aspect of the process. It is most frequently found in scientific and news contexts and is generally suitable for neutral to slightly formal writing. When emphasizing the specific amount that decreases, make sure to also mention it.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

decrease gradually

This is a more common and straightforward alternative.

gradually reduce

Focuses on the action of reduction happening over time, without emphasizing steps.

slowly decline

Highlights the slow pace of the decrease.

progressively diminish

Highlights the step-by-step nature of the decrease and also sounds more formal.

decline steadily

Focuses on the consistency and uninterrupted nature of the decrease.

successively diminish

Implies that each decrease follows the previous one in a sequence.

systematically lower

Emphasizes an organized and planned decrease.

reduce in stages

Highlights the step-by-step aspect of the reduction.

reduce bit by bit

Emphasizes the small, individual amounts by which the reduction occurs.

step-by-step reduction

Focuses on the process as a series of distinct steps, presented as a noun phrase.

FAQs

How can I use "decrease incrementally" in a sentence?

You can use "decrease incrementally" to describe a gradual reduction. For example: "The company plans to "decrease incrementally" its carbon emissions over the next five years".

What's a simple way to say "decrease incrementally"?

Instead of "decrease incrementally", you can use phrases like "decrease gradually" or "slowly decrease" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it correct to say "incrementally decrease" instead of "decrease incrementally"?

Yes, "incrementally decrease" is also correct, although "decrease incrementally" is slightly more common. Both phrases mean to reduce something in small steps.

What's the difference between "decrease incrementally" and "decrease sharply"?

"Decrease incrementally" means a gradual reduction, while "decrease sharply" indicates a sudden and significant reduction. They describe opposite types of changes.