How to Use cumulative in a Sentence

cumulative

adjective
Definition of cumulativenext
Synonyms for cumulativenext
  • Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another, you have only an extemporaneous, half possession.
    — Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance",
  • The union staff said the cumulative effects of the past year will linger.
    — oregonlive, 15 Apr. 2021
  • To win, a team had to solve the most problems in the fewest attempts and the least cumulative time.
    — Marco Santana, OrlandoSentinel.com, 20 Apr. 2018
  • The total cumulative change includes the change from both of those months.
    — Claire Cain Miller, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2022
  • The participant with the most cumulative points takes the pot.
    — Darnell Mayberry | , cleveland, 19 Aug. 2023
  • Teams keep track of their cumulative points throughout the evening.
    — Rick Mauch, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
  • But there the overall effect is one of cumulative pathos.
    — Alastair MacAulay, New York Times, 11 July 2018
  • Historic inscriptions in the rooms add texture and the effect of the quotes and stones is cumulative.
    — Noel Rubinton, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2017
  • And, over time since the case's onset, the cumulative total of cases may be in the thousands.
    — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 12 Aug. 2022
  • Watched in a binge, even though episode-long lulls don't last long, and the cumulative jokes build nicely.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 July 2019
  • Every shot counts and matters, and it’s a cumulative score for four days.
    — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 10 June 2020
  • The cumulative number of cases for both students and staff are also one of each.
    — Ed Wittenberg, cleveland, 6 Oct. 2020
  • Don't think there isn't an art to it, though; the cumulative effect lodges in your chest, and stays there.
    — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2022
  • Each athlete will take three runs down the track and each run counts toward the racer’s cumulative time.
    — Dan Gartland, SI.com, 2 Feb. 2018
  • The cumulative number of housing units the city wants to add borders on eye-popping.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2019
  • Lottery odds are based on the cumulative records of the last two regular seasons.
    — Akeem Glaspie, Indianapolis Star, 16 Sep. 2019
  • The resilience of longleaf pine forests can have cumulative benefits for the health of the planet, too.
    — Jamie Dickman, Popular Science, 14 June 2023
  • But the cumulative effect was that the tremor was less intense going forward.
    — Ese Olumhense, chicagotribune.com, 11 Dec. 2017
  • And the blows, Straley said, were cumulative; the pain deepened with each new blow.
    — Carol Marbin Miller, miamiherald, 10 July 2018
  • That can have a cumulative impact on the land and its inhabitants.
    — Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 3 Aug. 2021
  • But the cumulative effect of this year’s news was to cast doubt on whether that project would be completed on time — or at all.
    — Casey Newton, The Verge, 26 Dec. 2018
  • The cumulative result: one-person or shows with very small casts.
    — cleveland, 25 Aug. 2020
  • My belief has always been that great brands are the cumulative effects of great products.
    — Rob Ledonne, Billboard, 4 May 2018
  • The time between cumulative case milestones also reflects a slowed doubling time in the state.
    — Matt Piper, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5 June 2020
  • The union said the Delta deal will lead to a cumulative $7 billion in pay raises.
    — Alexandra Skores, Dallas News, 11 May 2023
  • This isn't a cumulative list; our state is pretty awesome, so of course, there are many more.
    — Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 Oct. 2021
  • It is stated in terms of monthly allowance, or the total cumulative mileage.
    — Houston Chronicle, 29 June 2018
  • As a result, Halsey said, the cumulative impact of the virus on them is uncertain.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Feb. 2021
  • The cumulative results of the public vote will then count as one vote during next month’s selection process.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 20 Nov. 2019
  • The film attains a cumulative power that’s quite moving.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 Jan. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cumulative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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