" Cumulative " refers to the process where additions over time lead to an increase in quantity, knowledge, or effects. It is commonly applied in contexts like education, finance, and science to describe how smaller increments build up to create significant results. This concept emphasizes the importance of understanding how individual contributions, when combined, shape final outcomes. CUMULATIVE meaning : 1. increasing by one addition after another: 2. increasing by one addition after another: 3…. Learn more. CUMULATIVE definition : reached by gradually adding one thing after another: . Learn more. Definition of cumulative adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. having a result that increases in strength or importance each time more of something is added. The evolution of human life was a gradual, cumulative process. including all the amounts that have been added previously.