Meaning & use
increased
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“increased” is a form of “increase”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
larger in amount, number, or level than before.
Grammar: Used before a noun: increased costs, an increased risk. It is not usually used after a verb like be.
Patterns
- increased demand
- increased risk
- increased costs
The company reported increased profits this year.
There is an increased risk of accidents when drivers are tired.
Increased rainfall has helped the farmers.
verbtransitive or intransitive
past tense and past participle of increase: became or made something larger.
Grammar: As a verb it can take an object (increased the price) or not (the price increased).
Patterns
- increased by something
- increased from something to something
- increased something
Prices increased sharply last month.
They increased the budget for training.
The temperature had increased by ten degrees.
Common combinations
- increased demand
- Increased demand for electric cars surprised the industry.
- increased risk
- Smoking is linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
- increased pressure
- Teachers are under increased pressure to improve results.
- significantly increased
- Sales significantly increased after the ad campaign.
Synonyms and how they differ
- higher
- Simply compares levels; increased suggests a change from an earlier, lower level.
- greater
- Used for size or degree, but it does not always suggest that something has grown over time.
Opposites
Word family
- increase verb
- to become or make larger
- increasingly adverb
- more and more over time
- increasing adjective
- growing or becoming more common
Commonly confused: increased or increasing?
increased vs increasing
Increased describes a rise that has already happened, while increasing describes one that is still continuing.
Practice
The company reported ______ sales after the new product launch.
Choose one answer.
We need an adjective before the noun sales, so increased fits. Increase is a verb or noun, increasingly is an adverb, and increase to is not used before a noun like this.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “increased”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.