Little by little
Example: He improves his skills little by little over time
Definition
"Little by little" is an adverbial phrase used to describe a gradual process or change that happens slowly and steadily over time. It implies that progress or development occurs in small, incremental steps rather than all at once.
Etymology
The phrase "little by little" originates from the repetition of the word 'little,' emphasizing gradualness. It has been used in English since at least the 16th century to convey slow, step-by-step progress. Did you know? This form of repetition for emphasis is common in many languages to stress gradual change.
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"Little by little" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - (A2) - set 1", containing 116 commonly used words.
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