What does successive mean?
Successive is an adjective meaning that one thing follows another in an ordered series. It is especially useful when describing events, stages, attempts, generations, or releases that occur one after another. The word often suggests continuity or progression within a sequence, but it does not necessarily require that every step be uninterrupted; for example, successive attempts may be separated by breaks. In formal writing, “successive” commonly describes measures, administrations, or incidents occurring in turn. It is related in meaning to “consecutive” and “sequential,” though “successive” more broadly emphasizes the one-follows-another relationship, while “consecutive” can focus on the absence of gaps. The word is frequently used in phrases such as “successive days” and “successive generations,” and is especially common in journalism, academia, and legal contexts.
adjectiveComing one after another in a sequence; consecutive. It describes a series in which each event or thing follows the preceding one without interruption.
- Occurring or following one after another in sequence.
"The museum has hosted successive exhibitions exploring the relationship between nature and modern art."
"Successive attempts produced increasingly accurate results."
"The government introduced successive measures to reduce air pollution."
A chain of events can be successive without being consecutive: something may happen, pause, and then happen again, but the series still unfolds one stage after another.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does successive come from?
Successive comes from the Latin successivus, meaning “following, going after, or occurring in succession.” It was formed from succedere, a verb meaning “to follow” or “to go after,” which also produced English “succeed” and “successor.” The English adjective entered use in the 17th century and developed into its modern sense of occurring one after another. Its relatives include “succession,” “successor,” “cede,” and “recession,” all associated with the broader Latin root of following or yielding place.
Related word forms
How successive is actually used
Successive is formal and common in academic, legal, historical, and news contexts. It can describe a sequence of events, stages, people in succession, or objects arranged one after another.
Easily confused with successive
Successive means occurring one after another, while consecutive often emphasizes that no item in the sequence is skipped or intervening.