successive month

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'successive month' is correct and usable in written English.
It is used when referring to two or more consecutive months. For example, "Sales have increased month on month for each successive month since October."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

New order intakes rose for the ninth successive month in September, but the rate of growth eased sharply from the marked pace observed in July and August.

BBC

Industrial production rose for a second successive month in February, by 0.3%.Brazil's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.5 percentage points, to 11.75%, on April 16th.

The Economist

Brazil's manufacturing sector contracted for the third successive month in June.If markets remained relatively buoyant early this week, that was doubtless because they were waiting for central banks to step into the breach yet again.

The Economist

The S&P/Case-Shiller index of prices in 20 big cities rose for a fourth successive month in August, by 1.2%.Banking in the euro area still looks sickly.

The Economist

Separate data released Monday showed manufacturing activity in the euro zone shrank for an eighth successive month in March, providing further support for Brussels's forecast that euro zone output will shrink 0.3 percent this year.

The New York Times

The British claimant count for unemployment rose for a third successive month in April.

Forbes

Hometrack, a housing market survey, showed U.K. house prices falling for a 14th successive month in November.

Forbes

Overall economic sentiment encouragingly not only rose for a seventh successive month in October but improved at a markedly increased rate to be at a 13-month high".

Forbes

He added: "Today's figures also show new export orders in manufacturing increasing for the second successive month in April pointing to an increase in new international business secured by Scottish firms.

BBC

Thus benchmark CPIX (the consumer price index excluding mortgage interest payments) inflation climbed to 10.4% year on year in April, the 13th successive month in which the government's 6% target ceiling has been breached.

The Economist

However, the housing market remains strong: new-home sales rose by 3.5% in December to an all-time record.Industrial production in Japan fell in December for the fourth successive month.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "successive month", ensure the context clearly establishes what is being measured or tracked over those months. For example, specify "successive months of growth" or "successive months of decline".

Common error

Avoid using "successive month" when referring to non-contiguous months. The phrase implies an unbroken sequence, so be sure the months are directly following one another.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "successive month" functions as an adjective phrase modifying a noun (often related to economic data, performance metrics, or time-based measurements). It specifies that the month in question is part of an uninterrupted sequence.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Formal & Business

20%

Science

5%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "successive month" is a grammatically correct and commonly used term to indicate consecutive months, predominantly in news and business contexts. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's used to describe trends and patterns over time. When writing, ensure clarity by specifying what is being measured across these months. While "consecutive month" offers a direct synonym, "successive month" is generally preferred for its flow and familiarity in reporting and analysis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Consecutive month

Replaces "successive" with its direct synonym "consecutive", maintaining the same grammatical structure.

Sequential month

Uses "sequential" to highlight the ordered nature of the months in question.

Succeeding month

A more formal synonym for "following month", emphasizing the order.

Following month

Implies a sequence but is less emphatic about the continuous nature than "successive".

Each subsequent month

Adds a sense of progression and continuation to the sequence.

Continuous month

Highlights the uninterrupted nature of the sequence over the months.

Month after month

Emphasizes repetition rather than strict succession.

Back-to-back months

More informal and highlights the immediate adjacency of the months.

In each month thereafter

Focuses on what happens after an initial month, extending the sequence.

Seriatim month

A less common, more technical term for events occurring in a series of months.

FAQs

How is "successive month" used in a sentence?

The phrase "successive month" describes a month that follows directly after another. For example, "The company reported increased profits for the third "successive month"".

What's a synonym for "successive month"?

A close synonym is "consecutive month", which also means following in uninterrupted order.

Is it correct to say "each successive month"?

Yes, "each "successive month"" is grammatically correct and emphasizes that something happens in every month that follows.

What's the difference between "successive month" and "following month"?

"Following month" simply refers to the next month, while ""successive month"" implies a series of months, one after the other.