What does incremented mean?
Incremented is the past tense and past participle of increment, a verb meaning to increase a quantity or value by adding to it. It is especially frequent in computing, engineering, mathematics, and administrative contexts, where values such as counters, indexes, scores, or version numbers are advanced by a fixed amount. The word often implies a regular step-by-step process rather than an unspecified general rise. For example, a software counter may be incremented whenever an event occurs, while a total may be incremented by the value of a new donation. In everyday writing, increased is usually the clearer and more natural choice. Incremented, however, is useful when precision matters and the action consists of adding a specific unit or increment.
verbPast tense and past participle of increment, meaning to increase a value, especially by a regular or specified amount.
- Increased by adding to a value, especially in a regular or numerical process.
"The counter was incremented whenever a new record was created."
"The index was incremented after the document was added."
"As the campaign gained support, the fundraising total was incremented each week."
In computing, an incremented counter records one more unit of progress, turning repetition into a measurable record.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does incremented come from?
The word comes from the verb increment, which was borrowed from Latin incrementum, meaning “an increase” or “a step upward.” The Latin term is related to increscere, “to grow” or “to increase,” and ultimately to the root creSCere, “to grow.” English later developed the adjective incremental and the adverb incrementally from the same Latin source. The form incremented is the ordinary past tense and past participle of increment.
Related word forms
How incremented is actually used
This form is especially common in technical, scientific, and numerical contexts. In general prose, increased is often more natural unless the addition follows a regular or specified amount.
Easily confused with incremented
Increased is the ordinary general term for making something larger, while incremented more precisely suggests adding to a value, often in a regular or numerical process.