Fortschreiten

Fortschreiten is a German verb meaning to progress, advance, or proceed. It is commonly used to describe the forward movement of something physical as well as the development or progression of non-physical phenomena, such as diseases, processes, technologies, or time itself. In everyday language one might say, for example, the disease schreitet fort or the technology schreitet voran.

The noun form das Fortschreiten refers to the act or process of progressing, though the more frequent term for general concept of progress is der Fortschritt. The word is a compound of fort- (forward) and schreiten (to stride). Its usage often carries a sense of ongoing movement through time, rather than a single act of moving forward.

In context, Fortschreiten is common in scientific, medical, and formal writing. The participial form fortschreitend describes something that is progressing, as in eine fortschreitende Erkrankung or fortschreitende Entwicklungen. Related expressions include voranschreiten, which can convey a gradual or orderly advance, though with slight nuance depending on context. More general synonyms include vorankommen and sich entwickeln, while verbs like vorstoßen or vordringen emphasize intrusion or penetration in other senses.

Overall, Fortschreiten denotes ongoing progress or advancement and is used to characterize processes that unfold over time, such as illnesses, research, technology, or social and economic changes. It is distinct from Fort­schritt as a noun, which names the result or concept of progress rather than its continuous movement.