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gradualistic - 2 dictionary results

grad⋅u⋅al⋅ism

   [graj-oo-uh-liz-uhm]
–noun
1. the principle or policy of achieving some goal by gradual steps rather than by drastic change.
2. Philosophy. a theory maintaining that two seemingly conflicting notions are not radically opposed, but are related by others partaking in varying degrees of the character of both.
3. Biology. a tenet in evolutionary theory maintaining that species evolve slowly and continuously over long periods of geological time.

Origin:
1825–35, Americanism; gradual + -ism
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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grad·u·al·ism     (grāj'ōō-ə-lĭz'əm)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. The belief in or the policy of advancing toward a goal by gradual, often slow stages.
  2. Biology The view that speciation proceeds by imperceptibly small, cumulative steps over long periods of time rather than by abrupt, major changes.

grad'u·al·ist n., grad'u·al·is'tic adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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