gradualism

noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"gradualism" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gradualism” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The belief that evolution proceeds at a steady pace, without the sudden development of new species or biological features from one generation to the next.

Key facts for gradualism
PropertyValue
Headwordgradualism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gradualism” sits in English frequency

gradualism falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gradualism is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for gradualism, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From gradual + -ism. The correct English form is gradualism, spelled G-R-A-D-U-A-L-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The belief that evolution proceeds at a steady pace, without the sudden development of new species or biological features from one generation to the next.
  2. 2
    The belief that some phenomenon occurs gradually over a long period of time.
  3. 3
    The belief that change ought to be brought about in small, discrete increments rather than in abrupt strokes such as revolutions or uprisings.

Etymology

From gradual + -ism.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gradualism"?
"gradualism" is spelled G-R-A-D-U-A-L-I-S-M.
What does "gradualism" mean?
As a noun, "gradualism" means: The belief that evolution proceeds at a steady pace, without the sudden development of new species or biological features from one generation to the next.
What is the origin of the word "gradualism"?
From gradual + -ism. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “gradualism”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is G-R-A-D-U-A-L-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list