Something gradual happens little by little, progressively.
The first necessary step that must be taken in order to understand the meaning of the term gradual is to discover its etymological origin. In this sense, we have to make it clear that it derives from Latin, more precisely from “paulatim”, which can be translated as “little by little”. However, we must not overlook that this, in turn, emanates from the adverb “paulum”, which is equivalent to “little” and which is related to the adjective “paucus”, which also means “little”.
Gradual is an adjective that refers to that which develops slowly and, generally, progressively . For example: “The television meteorologist announced a gradual change in the weather conditions” , “The truth is that the relationship strengthened gradually, without rushing” , “The change in the face of the team was gradual since the arrival of the new coach" .
The gradual vs. the abrupt or sudden
It is possible to understand what is gradual as opposed to what happens suddenly or abruptly . Suppose that a young person who enjoyed good health dies from a devastating illness: from the time the disorder is detected to the time of death, less than a week passes. His death, therefore, is sudden.
The case is different when someone remains hospitalized for eight months and suffers slow agony until death. About this person it can be said that the worsening of his health was gradual.
Changes in weather conditions can be gradual.
A class of aging
Within the geographical field and the social sciences, the use of the term gradual is also widely used. Specifically, it is usually used when analyzing the development and advancement of society. Thus, it is common to talk about the gradual aging of the world's population, which has become one of the fundamental pillars of current demographics.
This gradual aging has great economic, social and political importance, which, according to experts, will become more significant in the coming years. And that requires political authorities to act quickly, first, to be able to offer the highest possible quality of life to older people and second, to achieve the sustainability of public finances.
This means, therefore, that concrete measures are taken in the following two aspects:
-Health systems, which will require everything from broader infrastructure to an increase in medical and nursing personnel.
-Social security. By this we mean that it is necessary to develop initiatives that allow the pension system to be maintained.
The gradual growth
The economic growth of a person or a company can also be judged as gradual or abrupt. If a man joins a company as a cadet and, after a decade and several promotions, reaches management and five times his initial salary, his gradual progress can be indicated. On the other hand, the person who is unemployed and wins the lottery will have experienced sudden enrichment.
Gradual, in essence, is neither good nor bad . It is convenient that certain processes be developed in stages, step by step, while others can be completed abruptly without negative effects.