stopniowy

Stopniowy is an adjective in Polish meaning occurring in stages, gradual, or incremental. It is formed from the noun stopień (degree, step) with the suffix -owy, and its related adverb is stopniowo, meaning gradually or in stages.

The term is used to describe processes, changes, or implementations that unfold through discrete steps or phases rather than instantly. Common collocations include stopniowy wzrost (gradual growth), stopniowe ograniczenie (gradual restriction), stopniowa implementacja (gradual implementation), and stopniowe odchodzenie (gradual phase-out). In everyday language as well as in science, law, economics, and medicine, stopniowy describes how a change is introduced or how a phenomenon develops over time. For example, one might observe stopniowy wzrost cen, stopniowe ograniczenie emisji, or stopniowe odstawianie leków under medical supervision.

In contrast to terms such as nagły or gwałtowny (sudden, rapid) or skokowy (stepwise), stopniowy denotes a smoother progression through successive levels or intervals. The adverb stopniowo is used to describe the manner of change, as in prices rising gradually or a policy being rolled out in stages. The concept is common across various domains, including everyday speech, journalism, and technical writing, where precise phrasing about phased changes is important.