Meaning & use
piecemeal
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparabledisapproving
Done in small stages or parts, often without a clear overall plan.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: a piecemeal approach.
Patterns
- a piecemeal approach
- piecemeal changes
The city made piecemeal repairs to the road for years.
A piecemeal approach to reform rarely works.
adverbnot comparable
One part at a time, instead of all together.
Grammar: After a verb: they sold the land piecemeal.
Patterns
- done piecemeal
- sold piecemeal
The collection was sold piecemeal over several decades.
She renovated the house piecemeal as money allowed.
Common combinations
- piecemeal approach
- A piecemeal approach will not fix the system.
- piecemeal reform
- Critics dislike piecemeal reform.
- piecemeal basis
- The work is done on a piecemeal basis.
- sold piecemeal
- The estate was sold piecemeal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gradual
- Neutral about planning, while piecemeal suggests scattered steps.
- fragmentary
- Describes something incomplete or in bits.
- haphazard
- Stresses a lack of order, with no sense of stages.
Opposites
Commonly confused: piecemeal or peacemeal?
piecemeal vs peacemeal
Peacemeal is a misspelling; the word comes from piece and meal, meaning a piece at a time.
Practice
Instead of one big renovation, they fixed the old house in a ___ way, one room each year.
Choose one answer.
Piecemeal means a part at a time. Comprehensive and sweeping describe doing everything at once.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “piecemeal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.