piecemeal
adjective/ˈpiːsmiːl/
/ˈpiːsmiːl/
[usually before noun] (often disapproving)- done or happening gradually at different times and often in different ways, rather than carefully planned at the beginning
- a piecemeal approach to dealing with the problem
- piecemeal changes
- Alterations have been carried out on a piecemeal basis.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryPiecemeal is used with these nouns:- approach
- fashion
- reform
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from the noun piece + -meal from Old English mǣlum, in the sense ‘measure, quantity taken at one time’.
Check pronunciation:
piecemeal