allmähliche

Allmähliche is the attributive form of the German adjective allmählich, meaning gradual or slow and steady. It is used before feminine nouns in the nominative or accusative case, as in eine allmähliche Veränderung (a gradual change). The plural form for all genders is allmähliche Veränderungen. The masculine singular form is allmählicher, and the neuter singular form is allmähliches. In predicate or adverbial use, the adverbial form allmählich remains unchanged.

Etymology and usage notes: allmählich is a compound formed from a prefix associated with gradual progression and a suffix that forms adjectives. The word denotes processes that unfold over time rather than occurring abruptly. It is common in scientific, academic, and literary German to describe developments, changes, or effects that occur slowly and steadily.

Contexts and examples: As an adjective, allmähliche can describe various phenomena, such as eine allmähliche Verbesserung (a gradual improvement) or ein allmähliches Veralten der Geräte (the gradual aging of equipment). As an adverb, allmählich modifies verbs: Die Situation verbessert sich allmählich. It is useful to distinguish allmählich from synonyms like schleichend (loitering or creeping) or schrittweise (step by step), where allmählich emphasizes gradual pace rather than discrete steps.

Cross-linguistic note: In English, the closest equivalents are gradual or incremental. In German texts, allmählich and its inflected forms are standard for describing processes that unfold slowly over time.