You're staring at the screen. The word "increasingly" is already in your paragraph three times. It feels heavy. It feels like a placeholder. We’ve all been there, honestly. When you're trying to describe something that’s growing, shifting, or just getting more intense, "increasingly" is the easy button. It’s the reliable old sedan of the English language—it gets you from point A to point B, but it’s not exactly turning heads.
Language is about momentum. If you use the same adverb over and over, you kill the very "increase" you're trying to describe. Readers check out. Their eyes glaze over. To keep someone's attention, you need texture. You need a vocabulary that reflects the specific way something is changing. Is it a slow crawl? A violent explosion? A steady, rhythmic rise?
Finding other words for increasingly isn't just about passing a thesaurus check. It's about precision. It's about making sure your reader feels the weight of the change you're describing.
The Problem With "Increasingly"
It’s a "lazy" word. Not because you’re lazy, but because the word itself is a catch-all. It covers everything from a 1% rise in interest rates to a 400% surge in viral TikTok trends. When everything is "increasingly popular" or "increasingly difficult," nothing stands out.
Specifics matter.
According to linguistic researchers like those at the Oxford English Corpus, we tend to rely on high-frequency adverbs because our brains seek the path of least resistance during the drafting phase. But the drafting phase isn't the final product. Professional writers—the ones who actually get read—spend a huge chunk of their time swapping out these "filler" adverbs for verbs and adjectives that carry more emotional or factual weight.
Stepping Up the Intensity: More and More
Sometimes, the best way to replace a formal word is to go simpler. "More and more" sounds conversational. It sounds like a human talking to another human over coffee.
"People are increasingly worried about AI" vs. "People are becoming more and more worried about AI."
The second one has a rhythm. It suggests a heartbeat. It suggests a pile of worries stacking up. If you're writing a blog post, a script, or a personal essay, lean into the simpler repetitions. It feels more honest. It’s less "academic" and more "authentic."
Words That Describe Speed and Force
When things are moving fast, "increasingly" fails to capture the velocity. You need words that sound like they’re moving.
Progressively is a great middle-ground. It’s formal enough for a business report but specific enough to imply a steady, logical sequence. Think of a disease or a technical glitch. "The system became progressively unstable." That sounds a lot more ominous—and accurate—than "increasingly unstable."
Then you have exponentially. Use this one carefully. People toss it around to mean "a lot," but in mathematics and data science, it has a specific meaning regarding the rate of change. If you’re talking about a viral video or a bacterial colony, exponentially is your best friend. If you’re talking about your personal interest in knitting, it’s probably overkill.
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- Rapidly: Use this when the change is happening fast enough to be startling.
- Steadily: Perfect for a slow-burn growth that shows no signs of stopping.
- Mountingly: This one is great for tension. "Mounting pressure" or "mountingly difficult" creates a sense of physical weight.
- Profoundly: When the change isn't just about quantity, but quality.
The "Show, Don't Tell" Alternative
Here is a secret: the best way to find other words for increasingly is to delete the adverb entirely and fix the verb.
Instead of saying "The cost of living is increasingly expensive," try "The cost of living is spiraling."
"Spiraling" does the work of three words. It gives the reader a visual. It implies a loss of control. It’s dramatic. It’s effective.
Look at your sentences. Can you use snowballing? Mushrooming? Burgeoning? These are "vivid" verbs. They describe the growth and the character of the growth at the same time. If a business is "mushrooming," we imagine it popping up overnight in every corner. If it's "burgeoning," we think of a flower opening up—something healthy and natural.
Context Is Everything
You wouldn't use the same word in a legal brief that you’d use in a love letter. Or at least, I hope not.
In a professional or academic setting, you want words like incrementally or consecutively. These words suggest a controlled, measured increase. They imply that someone is watching the dial.
In creative writing, you want words that evoke sense. Apace. Thick and fast. Ever more.
Think about the nuance of "more and more" versus "to a greater extent." One is visceral; the other is analytical. If you’re writing for a lifestyle brand, "more and more" builds rapport. If you’re writing for a medical journal, "to a greater degree" provides the necessary clinical distance.
When to Stick With "Increasingly" (Yes, Really)
Don't ban the word from your vocabulary. It has its place. It’s a neutral, reliable bridge. Use it when the increase itself isn't the point of the sentence, but just a background fact.
If you’re writing a long-form piece, you might use it once every 1,000 words. Any more than that, and you’re signaling to the reader that you haven't quite mastered the nuances of the topic. It’s a bit like using the word "interesting." If you have to tell me it’s interesting, it probably isn't. Show me why it’s interesting. Show me how it’s increasing.
Breaking the Adverb Habit
We use adverbs because we’re afraid our verbs aren't strong enough.
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"He ran quickly" is weaker than "He bolted."
"It is increasingly hot" is weaker than "The heat is intensifying."
When you find yourself reaching for "increasingly," stop. Ask yourself: what is actually happening? Is something accumulating? Is it intensifying? Is it proliferating?
Proliferating is a fantastic word for things like apps, rumors, or weeds. It suggests a messy, uncontrolled spread. It carries a different "vibe" than "increasingly common."
A Quick List for Your Toolkit
Since we’re looking for variety, let’s look at how these words change the "flavor" of a sentence.
- Inexorably: This means it’s happening and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. It’s a heavy, dark word. "The tide rose inexorably."
- Developing: This feels positive or neutral. "A developing situation."
- Escalating: This is perfect for conflict. You don't "increasingly argue"; you "escalate an argument."
- Widening: Great for gaps, like "the widening wealth gap." It’s more visual than "increasing."
- Deepening: Use this for emotions or abstractions. "A deepening mystery" or "deepening sadness."
The Impact on SEO and Readability
Why does this matter for Google? Because Google’s algorithms, especially with the 2024 and 2025 updates, are getting better at identifying "thin" content. Thin content often relies on repetitive, generic language.
If your article uses the same five adverbs over and over, the algorithm might flag it as AI-generated or low-effort. By using a diverse range of other words for increasingly, you’re signaling to both the reader and the search engine that this is a high-quality, deeply considered piece of writing.
It improves your "Time on Page" metric. Why? Because the writing is actually interesting to read. People don't bounce because they're bored by repetitive phrasing. They stay because the language is evocative.
Actionable Steps for Better Writing
Don't try to change everything at once. Start small.
Next time you finish a draft, use the "Find" function (Ctrl+F) and search for "ly". Look at every adverb you've used. If "increasingly" pops up more than twice, challenge yourself to replace it.
Try to replace it with a verb first. If that doesn't work, look for a more specific adverb like notably, markedly, or significantly.
If you’re writing about data, use quantifiably.
If you’re writing about a trend, use popularly or prevalently.
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Be ruthless. Your writing will thank you.
The goal isn't to sound like a walking dictionary. The goal is to sound like someone who knows exactly what they’re talking about. Precision is the ultimate sign of expertise.
Putting It Into Practice
Take a look at these two sentences:
Option A: "As the climate changes, we are seeing increasingly severe weather patterns in the Midwest."
Option B: "As the climate shifts, weather patterns in the Midwest are intensifying, bringing more frequent and severe storms to the region."
Option B is better. It removes the "increasingly" and replaces it with a strong verb (intensifying) and adds a concrete detail (frequent storms). It’s more informative. It’s more engaging.
That is how you level up.
Stop leaning on the easy words. They’re holding you back. Whether you’re writing a LinkedIn post or a 2,000-word essay, the words you choose determine whether your message is heard or ignored. Choose the ones that carry weight.
Your Immediate Writing Checklist
To effectively replace "increasingly" in your next project, follow these specific steps:
- Identify the trend: Is the growth steady (steadily), fast (rapidly), or unstoppable (inexorably)?
- Swap for a verb: Can you use "mounting," "surging," or "snowballing" instead?
- Check the tone: Use "more and more" for casual content and "progressively" for formal reports.
- Watch the math: Only use "exponentially" if the growth is actually doubling or tripling at a consistent rate.
- Audit for AI: Search your document for "increasingly." If it appears in every other paragraph, vary your vocabulary to avoid sounding like a generic generator.
By refining your word choice, you move from merely conveying information to crafting a compelling narrative that keeps readers hooked from the first sentence to the last. This level of detail is what separates professional-grade content from the noise.